HC Deb 04 July 1972 vol 840 cc92-3W
Mr. Selwyn Gummer

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis excise duty on tobacco is levied; and how this compares with the basis used in the other member countries of the enlarged European Economic Community.

Mr. Higgins

In the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic, excise duties on tobacco are levied by weight on the unmanufactured leaf. In EEC and in Denmark and Norway, national revenue is obtained from tobacco consumption in a variety of ways; my understanding is that all these are based on the finished product.