Oklahomans Latest Victims of Targeted Cigarette Tax Hike Campaign
The purported “popularity” of a particular piece of public policy should not be the end-all justification for its passage. Such is certainly the case with efforts to raise taxes on tobacco products. Many state lawmakers have labeled these tax hikes as a win-win for taxpayers and the government because they have bought into the fallacy, perpetuated by organizations like the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, that the state revenue impact and affect on consumer behavior justify the targeting of low-income taxpayers with regressive tax hikes. These proponents are wrong.
http://www.atr.org/oklahomans-latest-victims-targeted-cigarette-tax-hike-campaign#ixzz46GPxY6Sh
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Teenage couple caught smuggling tobacco at Leeds Bradford Airport
A TEENAGE couple were caught trying to smuggle tobacco valued at more than £11,000 in unpaid duty through Leeds Bradford Airport, a court heard. KamilOsinski, 19, and partner Paulina Prusakiewicz, also 19, both of Torun, Poland, arrived at the airport on a flight from Tenerife on July 24, 2015. Inside their luggage, Border Force officers discovered 34,420 cigarettes and 15 kilos of hand-rolling tobacco.
The case was passed to HMRC to investigate and, during interview,Prusakiewicz said an unnamed male, who knew she was going on holiday, had given her money to buy the tobacco.
Warning up vs fake, smuggled cigarettes
The rampant rise and open selling of smuggled cigarettes in many parts of Mindanao have prompted revenue, customs and police authorities to renew their drive against untaxed cigarette brands.
These contrabands are considered detrimental to both consumers and the local economy as they are openly displayed and sold by thousands of stores in the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Bukidnon, Iligan, Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga Peninsula and the Cotabato region.
Any person caught in possession or selling smuggled or fake cigarettes will be charged and penalized accordingly.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/778094/warning-up-vs-fake-smuggled-cigarettes#ixzz458cu0awZ
Lear MoreNASCAR News: Derek White suspended for alleged smuggling involvement
Xfinity Series owner and driver Derek White has been suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for violation of its membership policy.
The 45-year-old White was arrested Wednesday as part of what authorities are calling the biggest tobacco-smuggling bust in North American history.
On Monday, NASCAR reached a decision and made a huge announcement that it’s suspending White for violating a section of the Xfinity Series Rule Book that states: “Any NASCAR member charged with any violation of the law (misdemeanor and/or felony) shall notify NASCAR … prior to the next scheduled Event or within 72 hours of being so charged, whichever is earlier.”
Suspended sentence for involvement in £110,000 tobacco smuggling operation
A local man and a juvenile have been sentenced to three months in prison, suspended for a year, for being involved in a £110,000 illegal tobacco operation.
19-year-old Shane Soiza and a 16-year-old co-defendant were also fined £1,500 each. Their lawyers described the defendants as “foot soldiers”, hired to wrap the tobacco cartoans ready for exportation.
The RGP seized the tobacco from a store within Francis Building in February.
http://www.gbc.gi/news/suspended-sentence-involvement-110000-tobacco-smuggling-operation-31896
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Spain claims Gibraltar derives £150m from tobacco smuggling
Nearly a third of Gibraltar’s income is derived from tobacco smuggling, according to the Spanish tax authorities. Hacienda’s special representative in Andalucía claimed in a Canal Sur interview that more than 150 million of Gibraltar’s 500 million pounds Budget originates from the illicit tobacco trade. He said this sum is sufficient to pay for the Rock’s health and education needs.
Alberto García Valera said that, regrettably, Gibraltar is a tax haven for Spain. While acknowledging that Gibraltar adheres to EU rules governing the exchange of tax information, he alleged that Spanish requests for such information are not fully satisfied. He added that it would be desirable for there to be maximum co-operation from Gibraltar, and for the tax system here to be more like those in the rest of the European Union.
http://www.gbc.gi/news/spain-claims-gibraltar-derives-150m-tobacco-smuggling-31892
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Fake oregano being sold in Australia
CUSTOMERS are getting ripped off with less than half of dried oregano products on supermarket shelves consisting of 100 per cent oregano, a consumer group says. Choice says it tested samples of 12 oregano products and found seven of them adulterated with olive and sumac leaves.
MasterFoods, Woolworths Select, Coles, McCormick and Herbies Spices were the only brands containing 100 per cent oregano leaves. Olive leaves and other ingredients were found in Aldi’s Stonemill product, Master of Spices, Hoyt’s, Spice & Co, Menora, Spencers and G. Fresh.
Fake goods must be flushed out
Obviously, they have the right to get the full value for their money. Despite the existence of regulatory and conformity assessment authorities such as Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), people themselves are responsible for the quality of products and services they want to purchase.
TBS, since last year, have embarked on a special campaign which intends to remove all substandard goods out of the markets to ensure that consumers get what has been endorsed.
The problem may be that perhaps consumers do not have full details of the products or services they are interested in. Sometimes, consumers acquire products or services without caring about their quality.
PHL Set to Destroy PHP 9.3 Billion Worth of Counterfeit Goods
Sustaining its gains in intellectual property rights enforcement, the PHL is set to destroy this month Php 9.3 Billion worth of counterfeit goods in Cabuyao, Laguna.
Today, Php 300,000 of the Php 9.3B is condemned. The seized goods consist of various items ranging from shirts, shoes, toys, electronic products and food seasoning.
The commencement of the month-long destruction was spearheaded by Commissioner Alberto D. Lina of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Director General Josephine R. Santiago of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the members of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights (NCIPR).
Cigarette smuggling causing over Rs 7b loss annually
Smuggling of cigarettes of different brands and tax evasion causes a loss over Rs 7 billion to the national exchequer annually, documents reveal. The Pakistan Tobacco Company and Federal Board of Revenue have failed to curb smuggling of cigarettes into the country. Documents available with Daily Times reveal that about 20 percent of the cigarettes consumed in the country are smuggled. On the other side, the local cigarette
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