Tobacco smuggling
Tobacco smuggling has a significant impact on public health and the revenue benefits of increased taxation. An increase in taxation of 1 per cent would be expected to decrease tobacco consumption by 0.4 per cent. The tobacco industry cites smuggling as a reason not to increase tobacco taxes but it should be remembered that in years when the minister of the day has not increased tobacco taxes, the tobacco industry itself has increased the price in order to boost its own profits. The international tobacco industry itself has had to pay billions of euro in settlements and fines for its role in smuggling. There should be the introduction of an environmental levy on tobacco to help offset the environmental damage caused by tobacco.
http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/tobacco-smuggling-1.2232361
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Chinese counterfeits leave Ghanaian textiles hanging by a thread
Wax-printed fabric, a source of national pride that has come to represent African fashion worldwide, plays a vital role in weddings, funerals, and traditional events throughout Ghana. Any special occasion involves a trip to market to pick the fabric before taking it to a tailor, like Ms. Addy, to create a custom-made outfit. But over the past decade, the country’s textile industry has collapsed. While there were once more than a dozen homegrown companies printing colorful fabrics, just a few remain. The industry, which until the 1990s employed 30,000 workers, now provides a mere 3,000 jobs, according to national data. The problem, textile manufacturers say, is counterfeit cloth made in massive quantities in China and smuggled into Ghana.
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Turkish diplomatic personnel apprehended while smuggling cigarettes, drugs
A.İ, who worked at the Turkish Consulate in İran’s city of Urmia was apprehended on March 4 by police in the Erciş district of Van province, who seized a large quantity of heroin from the vehicle, which had diplomatic license plates, according to Taraf.
A.İ. was arrested and suspended by the Foreign Ministry, which had previously launched an internal investigation into possible illegal activities by diplomatic personnel, the details of which were not released to the public.
Nigeria: Environmental rights group tasks FG on illicit tobacco trade
For tobacco control measures to be effective, the Federal Government must take pro-active measures to tackle the inflow of illicit tobacco products into the country, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), has said. The group in a statement released to mark this year’s World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) said the Tobacco Control Law recently signed by former President, Goodluck Jonathan, can only be effective if high taxes are imposed on tobacco products and effective actions taken to end the availability of cheap products through smuggling. With this years theme of “Stop Illicit Trade In Tobacco”, the WHO says “Eliminating the illicit trade in tobacco would generate an annual tax windfall of US$ 31 billion for governments, improve public health, help cut crime and curb an important revenue source for the tobacco industry.
Lear MoreBig tobacco firms accused of flooding foreign markets to encourage smuggling into UK to help their fight against tax rises
A report by campaigners Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) said that multinational tobacco companies send more products to some countries than there is demand which leads to some of the tobacco products being smuggled back to Britain, allowing the firms to lobby government for lower duty on legitimate cigarettes to make them more attractive to smokers. Leading figures in the cigarette industry denied the claims, however firms have recently been punished for oversupplying some European countries. HMRC said supply for cigarettes was exceeded by 240 per cent in some countries. The Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association (TMA) said tax on cigarettes continued to increase, with Chancellor George Osborne’s Budget in March laying out a two per cent rise above inflation. A TMA spokesman said: ‘The illegal market is clearly growing as consumers seek cheaper products elsewhere. Plain packaging will be a gift to the criminal gangs who wish to flood the UK market with cheap, counterfeit tobacco.’
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P50-M worth of smuggled toys, candies seized
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) confiscated around P50 million worth of smuggled toys, candies, and sugar at Mindanao International Container Terminal in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental on Friday morning. According to the owner of the containers, AMD Royale Enterprises, the shipment contained kitchen wares, house wares, table wares, ceramic wares, and pieces of furniture. However, upon opening the 19 containers, the BOC discovered that they contained smuggled toys, sugar and candies. According to BOC Intelligence Unit Deputy Commissioner Jesse Dellosa, the items may have come from China. Officialsasaid the influx of smuggled products will affect prices of goods in the local market. The BOC is also investigating 30 other container vans that arrived last week. The confiscated items will be tested for safety. Once cleared, they may be auctioned off by BOC.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/05/29/15/p50-m-worth-smuggled-toys-candies-seized
Lear MoreStamp Out Smoking calls on Arkansans to end tobacco smuggling
To honor World No Tobacco on May 31, Stamp Out Smoking is joining forces with the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners to focus on ending the harms caused by the illicit trade of tobacco products throughout the world. Stamp Out Smoking is calling on Arkansans to help end the smuggling of tobacco products across state lines.
Lear MoreAfrica Spirit invests in bottling to curb counterfeiting
The rising cases of counterfeited alcoholic drink in the country, has now forced some of the local spirit producing companies to introduce new features on their products that will help minimise them from being counterfeited. This safety features however comes with an extra cost, pushing the cost of production up and eating into their profits. One such company that has decided to introduce safety feature is the Africa spirit limited the producers of Bluemoon vodka, legend brandy and Furaha brandy.
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World No Tobacco Day: Illicit tobacco trade still a menace
Tobacco kills nearly 6 million people each year, globally. Unless we act now, the epidemic will kill over 8 million people every year by 2030 as estimated by the World Health Organisation. More than 80% of these preventable deaths would occur in low- and middle-income countries. To put a stop to these events countries are constantly defining ways to curb tobacco consumption. Tax and price policies are widely recognized as most effective for reducing demand for and consumption of tobacco products along with strong pictorial warnings.
http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/world-no-tobacco-day-illicit-tobacco-trade-still-a-menace/
Lear MoreFour-fold rise in cigarette smuggling into India: WHO
Cigarette smuggling into the country increased four-fold (by value) between 2012 and 2014, seizure data from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) shows. The data has been cited in a latest draft working paper prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO) to contend that illicit trade in tobacco products undermines tobacco control policies and leads to significant revenue loss. WHO has pegged the import duty evasion from smuggling cigarettes into the country at Rs 2,363 crore for 2014-15.
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