Shisha industry fears wave of bankruptcies. Tax stamps were issued for 727 tons of water pipe tobacco in 2023, significantly less than in 2022.
The price of shisha tobacco has doubled since packaging regulations were introduced in mid-2022. To save money, many consumers bought illegal products. They inhaled at home and no longer in a shisha bar. The legal market currently only accounts for around a tenth of its 2021 volume. The Federal Ministry of Finance estimated that the tobacco tax reform would generate tax revenue of 155 million euros for hookah tobacco.