烟草在线据《日本时报》报道编译　　日本三大卷烟制造商，包括卷烟巨头日本烟草公司，现在处于决定他们将如何应对即将到来的消费税上调的最后阶段，他们也有可能不提高价格。

　　因为对于在自动售货机上出售的产品，提价低于10日元是没有意义的，各制造商将考虑三种可能的选择：保持价格不变，或者在2014年4月消费税提高5%-8%以后将价格提高10日元或20日元，业内人士周二（10月15日）表示。

　　他们说，为响应财政部的要求，各制造商计划将所有产品合并销售的整体价格上涨限制在3%。

　　到今年10月底，每家公司将向财政部提交一份修订卷烟价格的计划草案，包括每个品牌的提价幅度，日本财政部有权批准卷烟价格。

　　财政部上周末（10.12-13）向烟草行业领导者日本烟草公司、日本烟草市场的第二大公司菲莫日本公司，以及英美烟草日本公司提出了3%的要求。经过与财政部的会谈，预计这三家公司最早将于今年12月底提交正式申请。

　　大多数支柱产品，如日本烟草的Mevius、菲莫公司的万宝路和英美烟草的建牌，售价为每包410日元或440日元。提税将使每包价格提高大约12日元。

　　据一位业内官员说，制造商希望提高价格，以抵消提税以及提价引发的需求疲软。

　　据有关人士透露，制造商们计划在审查材料成本和品牌实力后再做最后决定，同时讨论是否提高那些具有较高市场份额的产品价格，或保持价格持平。

Prices of Some Cigarette Brands May Not Rise after Japanese Tax Hike

　　Three major Japanese cigarette makers, including giant Japan Tobacco Inc., are in the final stages of deciding how they will handle the coming consumption tax hike, including the possibility they won't raise their prices.

　　Because it would be unrealistic to raise prices by less than ￥10 for products sold in vending machines, each maker will consider three options: keeping prices the same or raising them by ￥10 or ￥20 after the tax is raised from 5 percent to 8 percent in April 2014, industry sources said Tuesday.

　　In response to a request from the Finance Ministry, each maker plans to limit overall price hikes to 3 percent of combined sales of all products, they said.

　　By the end of October, each company will submit a draft plan of revised cigarette prices, including a hike for each brand, to the ministry, which has the authority to approve cigarette prices.

　　The ministry made the 3 percent request by the end of last week to industry leader JT, Philip Morris Japan, the second-largest player in the country's tobacco market, and British American Tobacco Japan. Following talks with the ministry, the three companies are expected to file formal applications by the end of December at the earliest.

　　Most of their mainstay products, such as JT's Mevius, Philip Morris' Marlboro and British American Tobacco's Kent, are sold at ￥410 or ￥440 per pack. The tax hike would lead to price hikes of some ￥12 per pack.

　　The manufacturers are hoping to raise prices to offset both the tax hike and weaker demand stemming from higher prices, according to one industry official.

　　They plan to make a final decision after examining material costs and the strength of brands, while discussing whether to raise the prices of products with higher market shares or keep prices flat, according to the sources. Enditem