Sweden is the only country in the EU where snus, a tobacco pouch placed between the upper lip and the gums, is permitted for sale. At the same time, it has the lowest smoking rate in the EU, nearing 5%.
When Slovakia joined the EU in 2004, the union accounted for 26 per cent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP), just behind the US at 28 per cent.
Globalisation-related pressures have led countries across the world to reduce CIT rates, making taxation more business-friendly. Despite the decrease in tax rates, tax revenues are not falling.
Tax shifts are widespread – often at the expense of the consumer – but governments do not always seem to be aware of the extent of such practice when they introduce new forms of taxation.