The Italian tobacco industry: a state monopoly

Abstract

The tobacco industry in Italy merits attention from more than one point of view: (a) as the result of efforts, lasting over a considerable time, to transplant into Italy the cultivation of a product which was foreign to the physical make-up of the country; (b) as a monopoly organisation directed by a special form of State Administration; (c) as one of the main sources of revenue for the Treasury. Theses aspects of the problem are clearly brought out in the present article. Particular interest relates to the facts and figures provided on the success of the work undertaken to repair the enormous damage doused by the war to this industry. In regard to the main problems of the present time, the author argues for the need both for a more clearly defined autonomy for the Administration of Government Monopolies, and for a pricing policy for tobacco, which should tend to secure the maximum fiscal yield in this time of grave financial difficulty in Italy.

JEL: L66, L12