Counterfeit Components Continue to Slam Electronics Industry
The problem of counterfeiting keeps getting worse. In 2013, the US Customs and Border Protection reported more than 24,300 counterfeit shipment seizures, representing more than $1.7 billion in goods. Over the last five years, counterfeit seizures have increased nearly 50%.
Power management company Eaton has launched a program to raise awareness of ways industry professionals can protect themselves against counterfeit electrical products. The “I Didn’t Know” educational campaign includes a website devoted to helping buyers identify and report counterfeit parts. The campaign intends to reach professionals in the electrical and electronics industry and is part of the company’s ongoing effort to combat counterfeit components worldwide.
Lear MoreProposed Tobacco Tax Increase Will Simply Encourage More Smuggling
State legislatures across the country have piled on the tobacco taxes over the past decade. Not surprisingly, this has created a growing problem of tobacco smuggling. As the tax rate rises, it encourages people to buy products from low-tax states and sell them illegally in high-tax states.
New York is the most obvious example of this problem. The Empire State has a tax rate of $4.35/pack, far higher than most other states. As a result, an estimated 57% of all cigarettes sold in New York are brought in by smugglers.
http://oregoncatalyst.com/30079-proposed-tobacco-tax-increase-simply-encourage-smuggling.html
Lear MoreCigarette smuggling report calls for stronger enforcement, harsher penalties
Massachusetts should increase spending on law enforcement and establish harsher penalties to cut down on illegal cigarette sales, according to a new report by Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
A state commission convened in 2013 to study ways to cut down on tobacco smuggling released its final report on Sunday. It did not recommend reducing the state’s cigarette tax, which is the second-highest in the nation, but suggested the state could save money by giving law enforcement agencies more money and threaten smugglers and retailers with harsher penalties.
Top tips that can help you spot fake products
Delegates from French companies, including Louis Vuitton and Lacoste, on how to spot fakes
Lacoste’s signature crocodile should always have its mouth agape to the right and every authentic Louis Vuitton product is packaged in dark brown. These were some of the key revelations to help identify the counterfeit from the original that were highlighted by representatives from a number of French companies, who gathered in Ajman’s Chamber of Commerce in an anti-counterfeiting awareness and training seminar.
Lear MoreCommittee reports on illegal trade
In a report, entitled Cross-border Police Cooperation and Illicit Trade, they say. More serious penalties, including more lengthy custodial sentences for illicit trade activities, are needed in order to make Ireland a more difficult place for criminal gangs to operate.The Committee was particularly alarmed by the evidence of the widespread presence of fuel laundering plants and filling stations selling illicit fuel in border regions and further afield.
http://www.independent.ie/regionals/argus/news/committee-reports-on-illegal-trade-31018174.html
Lear MoreCounterfeiting & smuggling to cost govt Rs 1.6 trillion by 2016: Ficci
Counterfeiting and smuggling activities have been increasing at an annual rate of 15% in the country and would cost government Rs 1.6 trillion by 2016, revealed the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (Ficci) anti-counterfeiting committee on Friday.
The revelation was made during a 90-minute programme held by the Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (Cascade) here. The programme was aimed at sensitizing police officers about the impact of counterfeit and smuggled goods.
Smuggling, counterfeiting on the rise: Sanjay Kumar
Smuggling and counterfeiting-related crimes are increasing at a more rapid pace compared to conventional crimes, said Sanjay Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police, Pune.
Kumar was addressing police officers and members of industry during a one-day seminar and training on ‘Counterfeiting and smuggling’ organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on Friday.
Lear MoreDon’t be fooled – Supermarkets selling fake wine in alcohol aisle – some containing just 11% of alcohol
Supermarkets have been caught selling “wine based drinks” in their alcohol aisles – some containing less than the required 75 per cent wine. The Aussie plonk appears to be normal – bottled and labelled like proper wines – but small print on the back reveals they are not what they seem. Labeling guidelines state that any drink containing less than 75 per cent wine must be described as a “wine based drink”.
Huge tobacco find on Armagh farm sparks ‘soft touch for smugglers’ claim
Political wrangling over the powers of the National Crime Agency operating in Northern Ireland are said to have left the region wide open to smugglers. Almost a tonne of raw leaf tobacco and 10,000 suspected illicit cigarettes were this week seized in raids by Customs officers. The huge tobacco haul was discovered in a vehicle at a farm in south Armagh on Tuesday.
How tobacco tax spikes could trigger smuggling
Dubai: Abrupt tax spikes on tobacco products will stimulate the illicit counterfeited tobacco trade which, in turn, is linked to other activities of organised crime and terrorism, speakers of the fifth Middle East and North Africa conference on ‘Combating Illicit Trade and Tax Engagement’ said yesterday.The annual conference, held at the JW Marriott Marquis, was hosted by British American Tobacco (BAT).
International experts and analysts gathered to discuss and review case studies on the tobacco black market trade. The conference also covered taxation-related issues and provided insights into the best practices in adopting sensible tax policy regimes.