Raising federal cigarettes taxes won’t end smuggling between states
The Aug. 3 editorial “Closing a loophole” had its heart in the right place but missed the boat on suggesting implementable policy. There’s a large cigarette-smuggling problem between low-tax states such as Virginia, where the commonwealth levies a 30-cent-per-pack tax, and New York City ($5.85/pack). But I can’t understand why this warrants an increase in the federal cigarette tax rate.
Lear MoreUPDATE 1-Former wine collector gets 10 years in prison for counterfeiting
An Indonesian man, once considered one of the world’s top wine collectors but who U.S. prosecutors later called a “kingpin of counterfeit” for selling millions of dollars of fake French wine to the wealthy, was sentenced to 10 years in jail in Manhattan federal court on Thursday. Rudy Kurniawan used his refined palate and luxurious lifestyle to hoodwink some of the world’s most discriminating oenophiles with his “bold, grandiose, unscrupulous, but destined-to-fail con,” U.S. District Judge Richard Berman said in imposing the sentence, along with $28.4 million in restitution to compensate seven unsuspecting buyers. The sentence would serve as a deterrent to other counterfeiters, the judge said. “The public at large needs to know that our food and drink are safe and can trust what’s on the label,” Berman said, “and not some potentially unsafe, homemade witch’s brew.”
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/08/07/usa-crime-wine-idINL2N0QD1WJ20140807
Lear MoreMother-of-two made £400,000 selling fake Mulberry bags at ‘handbag parties’ before spending cash on private school fees and holidays
A woman who made more than £400,000 selling fake designer handbags spent the money on school fees for her children and luxury goods for herself. Fiona Taylor, 44, of Newton on Ouse, North Yorkshire, organised ‘handbag parties’ where she sold counterfeit bags for hundreds of pounds each, telling buyers they were the real thing. The mother of two laundered cheques through her son’s bank account and spent the money on luxury goods, private school fees, holidays and a new car, a court heard.
Lear MoreReduction in Piracy Can Create More Jobs
BANGALORE: Taking advantage of lax laws governing piracy and smuggling, many people who deal in counterfeit items manage to continue their business after paying fines, said P C Jha, former chairman of Central Board of Excise and Customs and now a member of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Speaking at a seminar on ‘Curbing Counterfeiting and Smuggling’ organised by FICCI, Jha said a 10 per cent reduction in piracy in the IT sector would lead to the creation of 1 lakh jobs, according to estimates. “The laws provide for a two year-jail term or a maximum of `2 lakh fine. When a person makes crores from piracy, `2 lakh is peanuts. Also cases go on for ten years or so. The laws are not strict enough,” he said.
Lear MoreBill defines smuggling as economic sabotage
The partylist group Abono has filed a bill to fight the smuggling of agricultural products, making the illegal activity a form of economic sabotage. Rosendo So, Abono chair, said House Bill No. 4767, known as the “Direct and Technical Smuggling as Economic Sabotage Act of 2014,” would help local producers and manufacturers compete and eliminate unfair competition. “Imagine the taxes lost because of smuggling and its impact on local farmers who cannot compete with the low prices of smuggled goods,” said So, who is also president of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura. So, citing information gathered by Abono, said a total of P65-billion worth of agricultural products like rice, pork and poultry, were smuggled into the country in 2012 and 2013. “Considering the far-reaching effect of smuggling on the Philippine economy and on Filipinos regardless of their socio-economic status, smuggling should be considered a form of economic sabotage,” Abono Representatives Francisco Emmanuel Ortega and Conrado Estrella III said in the bill’s explanatory note.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/626665/bill-defines-smuggling-as-economic-sabotage
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Monopoly, not smuggling, is rice trader’s charges
Suspected rice smuggler David Bangayan, also known as David Tan, will not be charged with smuggling, but with monopoly of supply, it was learned Tuesday. “He could only be charged with monopoly in restraint of trade for using farmers’ cooperatives as dummies to secure importation permits,” sources from the National Bureau of Investigation told the Inquirer. Bangayan, who insisted he was not David Tan, was positively identified by leaders of farmers’ cooperatives, who served as his dummies and who later turned witnesses for the government during the investigation, as “one and the same person.” The sources also said that cases would be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman this week.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/626750/monopoly-not-smuggling-is-rice-traders-charges
Lear MoreSpot the fake apps
Dangerous, fake smartphone apps lurk in app stores
Hackers are making fake apps to scam you, steal your personal information and rip you off. The fake apps appear in the app stores and are disguised to appear like the real thing. The danger is bigger than just wasting a couple bucks on an app that doesn’t work. They could hack your Facebook, for example, or Twitter,” said Orlando tech expert Carlos Carbonell of Echo Interaction Group. “They can also access banking info.”
http://www.news4jax.com/news/spot-the-fake-apps/27321370
Lear MoreBetter steps required to curb smuggling: Rajnath Singh
Government on Tuesday said current measures are not enough and better steps are required at international borders to prevent smuggling of narcotics. Home Minister Rajnath Singh informed the Lok Sabha that while smuggling of narcotics has been taking place for a long time, government keeps taking steps to check the trend. The steps include fencing of border and flood lighting. He said the present steps are not enough and still better measures are required to curb smuggling.
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De Lima appeals oil smuggling case ruling
The government would seek reconsideration of the Court of Appeals’ decision dismissing the P6-billion smuggling charges filed against a Davao City-based oil firm, its president and customs broker, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said on Sunday. “We will definitely appeal that decision. I will ask the Office of the Solicitor General to file a motion for reconsideration,” De Lima said in a text message.
Last Friday, the Court of Appeals Former Special 10th Division reversed the Justice Secretary’s decision to indict Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc., its president and chief executive officer Dennis Uy and customs broker Jorlan Cabanes, for violations of the Republic Act No. 1937, or the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP). The appeals court ruled that Uy and Cabanes were deprived of due process when De Lima set aside the earlier resolution issued by Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III that recommended the dismissal of the case against the respondents.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/626048/de-lima-appeals-oil-smuggling-case-ruling
Lear MoreFrom Iran and Afghanistan: Smuggled POL products continue to flow into Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has conceded that despite its efforts petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) products are continuously being smuggled into Pakistan through Iran and Afghanistan borders. In a statement submitted in the upper house of the parliament in response to a question, the FBR claimed that it was very sensitive to smuggling of the Iranian POL products.
“[This smuggling takes place] through non-specific routes across the borders and uninhabited beaches on the sea, where only Coast Guards and Frontier Corps (FC) have their presence with matching human resource and firepower to counter the smugglers in these areas of Balochistan,” it said. According to the FBR, the average monthly quantity and volume of POL products smuggled from Iran and duly confiscated by Customs authorities in the current calendar year is 131,238 litres.
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