The Reality of a Fake
A new exhibition explores the various levels of authenticity in fashion
Unless you have been super vigilant and only bought your clothing and accessories directly from designer boutiques throughout your life, you have more than likely owned a knock off, a copy, an imitation, ‘inspiration’ or, worse case scenario, a counterfeit of a designer creation–a fake.
But what is a fake? And why should you care that much? When it comes to fashion, it’s a matter of ‘out of sight out of mind’ for the majority of consumers who are already bearing the brunt of hard economic times.
http://world.einnews.com/article/242455477/ZbA4XHiOj0aXjSJr
Lear MoreTax hikes on tobacco, alcohol raise smuggling worries
The government’s first tax increases of the new year were introduced on fixed taxes on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, the Turkish media reported on Thursday, stoking fears of increased smuggling of such products into the country.
According to a Cabinet decision published in the Official Gazette on Thursday, the fixed tax on beer has been increased to TL 0.85 per liter from TL 0.74, a 15 percent rise. As for wine, the fixed tax was raised to TL 4.59 from TL 3.97, a 16 percent increase. The tax on rakı rose by 21 percent to TL 107.72 per liter from TL 89.11. For cigarettes, the fixed tax has reached TL 0.1866 per pack, up from TL 0.13.
Lear MoreTax hikes on cigarettes and alcohol to encourage smuggling, tradesmen union says
The recent rise in fixed tax from cigarettes and alcohol over the inflation rate will encourage smuggling, the head of the Confederation of Turkish Craftsmen and Tradesmen (TESK) BendeviPalandöken has said. Cigarette counterfeiting and smuggling have risen in recent years and the latest tax raises should be suspended to maintain the fight against such illegal activity, Palandöken warned in a written statement on Jan.“The latest tax increase on cigarettes will cause a rise in prices, resulting in a dramatic increase in smuggling. This will pave the way for one in four cigarettes being smuggled in the near future, raising from one in five cigarettes at present.
Lear MoreFive Irish arrested by Spanish police in smuggling swoop
Five Irish nationals, a Norwegian and a Spanish lawyer have been arrested in what is understood to be a major Spanish police operation against tobacco smuggling linked to south Armagh.
The arrests are understood to include husband and wife, Donna Maguire and Leonard ‘Bap’ Hardy, who served prison sentences in Holland and Germany for their parts in IRA attacks on the Continent in the late 1980s. Hardy (54) and Maguire (57) are married with four children and live in the Mount Pleasant area of Dundalk.
Lear More
New anti-smoking weapons are needed
It is still not too late to quit. The year is still young and even if you did not start yet or have already relapsed, you can still stop smoking in 2015. Quitting cigarettes is a smart thing, of course. The more people who quit smoking, the healthier Delaware and the rest of the nation become. The trouble is that in many places, the rate of smokers is actually going up. One of the main causes, according to advocates, is not enough money is being spent on advocacy. That is, advertising and smoking-cessation programs.
Lear MoreExtras on excise: virginia is part of the cigarette smuggling problem, but also part of the solution?
Due to having one of the lowest state excise taxes for cigarettes—$0.30 for a pack of 20 cigarettes—Virginia is a very popular source for smugglers who purchase large quantities of cigarettes and then sell them illegally in states with higher taxes. The Commonwealth, however, is aware this problem exists and is looking for solutions. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has found that cigarette smuggling leads to federal and state revenue losses of between $7 and $10 billion annually, as previously reported by Bloomberg News.
http://www.bna.com/extras-excise-virginia-b17179921799/
Lear More
Birmingham UGG boots store in ‘fake scam’ after two arrested on suspicion of fraud
Two suspected fraudsters have been arrested after police swooped on a city centre Birmingham shop which had allegedly been selling fake designer UGG boots. Officers raided the store, based in the Pavilions shopping mall, following complaints from angry customers who claimed they had been ripped off. The shop, which had UGG signage, had been allowed to open at the prime city centre location just days before Christmas.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-ugg-boots-store-fake-8367571
Lear MoreSouth Africa: Pakistani Businessman in Court for Cigarette Smuggling
Yesterday, 38-year-old Suid Mohammed appeared in the Lehurutshe Magistrate’s Court for trying to smuggle illicit tobacco worth more than R360 000,00 to South Africa through the Skilpadhek border post that South Africa shares with Botswana.
The Skilpadhek border police, in conjunction with the Directorate for Priority Investigation (the Hawks), arrested Muhammad in a joint, intelligence-driven operation on 27 December 2014. A total of 36 boxes, which contained cartons of illicit Pacific Blue cigarettes, were found hidden in a false compartment created in a trailer pulled by a bakkie driven by Mohammed.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201412300924.html
Lear More
Saudi seizes smuggled ‘X-Mas’ trees
Saudi customs authorities arrested two Arab men trying to smuggle Christmas trees into the conservative Gulf kingdom through its King Fahd causeway linking it with Bahrain. Officials said the trees were confiscated as they violated the country’s rules which ban celebrations on this occasion.
Sharq newspaper quoted the causeway’s director Daifallah Al Otaibi as saying legal measures would be taken against the two smugglers but he did not specify the punishment. “The punishment depends on the type of the smuggled products and whether they are for personal or commercial use,” he said.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/saudi-seizes-smuggled-x-mas-trees-2014-12-30-1.574976
Lear More