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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 1:32 am
Time: 1:32 am
Results for tobacco smuggling (u.k.)
3 results foundAuthor: Great Britain. HM Treasury Title: New responses to new challenges: Reinforcing the Tackling Tobacco Smuggling Strategy Summary: Tobacco smuggling is not a victimless or harmless crime. Smoking kills half of all smokers, and organised criminal gangs that smuggle tobacco provide a cheap and unregulated supply which undermines the Government’s policy of using tax to maintain the high price of tobacco and help reduce smoking, especially among the young. Tobacco smugglers also undermine law-abiding businesses and often use the proceeds to fund other forms of organised crime. Maintaining the stability of the public finances is an essential foundation of a strong economy, and at the heart of our stable public finances is a tax system based on the principle that everyone should pay their fair share. When people evade taxes, they undermine that principle and increase the burden on honest taxpayers. Our commitment to tackling fraud and smuggling in all its forms is therefore integral to maintaining a fair tax system, safeguarding the stability of the public finances and protecting the revenue available for investment in our public services. The Government launched its innovative strategic approach to tackling tobacco smuggling in 2000, investing more than £200m in new staff and new technology. The strategy has successfully halted and reversed the rapid growth in cigarette smuggling, safeguarding around £6 billion of public money. The UK is now recognised as an international leader in its approach to analysing and tackling tobacco smuggling. Despite this success, 1 in 6 cigarettes and around half of hand-rolling tobacco smoked in Britain are still illicit. And there is a growing threat from illegal counterfeit cigarettes, which may pose additional health risks to smokers. With smugglers constantly changing their tactics to try and maintain their profits, the Government constantly needs to anticipate and adapt to new threats and challenges. This document summarises the progress made in tackling tobacco smuggling since the launch of the strategy in 2000, and analyses how the smuggling problem has changed. It also sets out clear targets for the next phase of the strategy and plans for new staff, technology, legislation, publicity and cooperation with tobacco manufacturers to reinforce the further clamp down necessary on tobacco smuggling. Details: London: HM Treasury, 2006. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2012 at http://www.thecre.com/ccsf/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/New_responses_to_new_challenges_reinforcing_Tackling_Tobacco_Smuggling_Strategy.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.thecre.com/ccsf/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/New_responses_to_new_challenges_reinforcing_Tackling_Tobacco_Smuggling_Strategy.pdf Shelf Number: 124614 Keywords: Illegal Trade (U.K.)Illicit Markets (U.K.)Tobacco Smuggling (U.K.) |
Author: National Audit Office (U.K.) Title: Progress in Tackling Tobacco Smuggling Summary: HMRC’s renewed strategy for tackling tobacco smuggling is logical and includes a wide range of complementary measures, but the Department does not yet have an integrated approach to deterring and disrupting the distribution of illicit tobacco within the UK, according to the National Audit Office. Today’s report identifies some good progress in building intelligence overseas, with the expansion of HMRC’s network of intelligence officers. HMRC estimates that these officers helped overseas authorities seize goods equivalent to a prevented revenue loss of £658 million between 2011-12 and 2012-13. However, HMRC has limited powers to carry out an independent verification of the volume of seizures, which is reported by foreign customs authorities. HMRC met all but one of its key operational targets for tobacco in 2011-12 but failed to meet any of its targets in 2012-13. HMRC is unlikely to achieve its plan to prevent £1.4 billion in revenue being lost to tobacco smuggling from investment in new tobacco initiatives over the spending review period. Key initiatives funded as part of its spending review settlement have been delayed or cancelled, including one designed to tackle the over-supply of genuine tobacco overseas, as the proposed approach was abandoned because of legal concerns. HMRC achieved £328 million by the end of 2012-13 from these new initiatives, less than two-thirds of the benefit expected so far (£527 million). HMRC recognizes the need for better intelligence on distribution networks, if it is to target its domestic enforcement activities efficiently. It also lacks a good understanding of the volume of prosecutions and other sanctions needed to deter effectively the trade in illicit tobacco. HMRC is concerned that supplies of certain brands to specific countries are higher than legitimate local demand. Supply chain legislation was introduced in 2006 but HMRC analysis shows a continuing problem of over-supply of genuine tobacco products. Tobacco manufacturers have a legal obligation not to facilitate smuggling so far as is reasonably practical, and HMRC has worked with them to review supply chain policies. However, so far it has issued only one warning letter and no penalties. Details: London: NAO, 2013. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 6, 2013 at: http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/10120-001-Tobacco-smuggling-Full-report.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/10120-001-Tobacco-smuggling-Full-report.pdf Shelf Number: 128979 Keywords: Tax EvasionTobacco Smuggling (U.K.) |
Author: Great Britain HM Revenue and Customs Title: Tackling Tobacco Smuggling–building on our success Summary: The Government believes that tobacco smuggling must be tackled head on. Tobacco fraud costs taxpayers over £2 billion a year, depriving the general public of revenue to fund vital public services that support us all. The availability of illegal tobacco products undermines public health objectives and impacts on the health of both individuals and wider communities; circumventing health labelling requirements and age of sale restrictions. Since Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) “Tackling Tobacco Smuggling” Strategy was first introduced in 2000 the size of the illicit cigarette market has been cut by almost half with more than 20 billion cigarettes and over 2,700 tonnes of hand-rolling tobacco seized. There have been more than 3300 criminal prosecutions for tobacco offences following action by our officers. The smuggling of cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco is also a key business for organised criminal gangs who use the proceeds of this crime to fund the smuggling of drugs, weapons and also human beings. It harms the overwhelming majority of law-abiding businesses who sell tobacco products legally, diverting revenues from retailers all over the country. This Government is committed to stepping up action to deal with this problem and “Tackling Tobacco Smuggling –building on our success” shows how HMRC with the support of UK Border Agency will work together to ensure that those who think that this is a quick, easy and above all profitable crime are targeted, tackled and punished. Details: London: HM Revenue & Customs and the UK Border Agency, 2011. 18p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 18, 2013 at: http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageLibrary_MiscellaneousReports&propertyType=document&columns=1&id=HMCE_PROD1_031246 Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageLibrary_MiscellaneousReports&propertyType=document&columns=1&id=HMCE_PROD1_031246 Shelf Number: 129011 Keywords: Border SecurityCigarettesIllicit TradeOrganized CrimeTobacco Smuggling (U.K.) |