The Slovak parliament adopted five laws aligning the excise tax legislation with that of the European Union, to which Slovakia is set to enter - along with nine other countries - on May 1, 2004, the TASR news wire wrote.
The legislation concerns beer, wine, alcohol, tobacco, and mineral oil (fuels), but only the excise rate on tobacco will change in May; a pack of cigarettes will be one crown (€0.02) more expensive due to an additional Sk0.05 excise tax per cigarette.
Opposition Movement for a Democratic Slovakia MP Miroslav Maxon initiated the parliament's resolution by pledging the government would analyse the impact of the illegal cigarette market in Slovakia and propose measures to combat it.
Most smuggled tobacco products in Slovakia come through Ukraine.
