HM REVENUE AND
CUSTOMS News Release (NAT 34/09) issued by COI News Distribution
Service on 20 April 2009
The Government has
today taken another significant step in the fight against tobacco
smuggling as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Angela Eagle
today signed anti-smuggling agreements with two international
tobacco manufacturers.
The agreements with Philip Morris International (PMI) and Japan
Tobacco International (JTI) - complement the legislation that the
Government introduced in 2006, requiring all tobacco manufacturers
to help prevent smuggling through careful control of their supply chains.
The Exchequer Secretary/Angela Eagle, said: "These
agreements are an important new element in the fight against
tobacco smuggling. In the last decade we have halved the size of
the illicit cigarette market in the UK and by signing these
agreements, we are demonstrating that we are determined to
continue working with tobacco manufacturers to tackle smuggling."
Since the UK's first Tackling Tobacco Smuggling strategy was
published in 2000, HM Revenue & Customs and the UK Border
Agency have:
* reduced the proportion of illicit cigarettes from 21% in 2000
to 13%;
* seized more than 14 billion cigarettes and more than
1000 tonnes of hand rolling tobacco in the UK and abroad;
*
broken up 370 criminal gangs involved in large-scale
smuggling;
* prosecuted more than 2,000 people and issued more
than £35m worth of confiscation orders.
Notes to Editors
1. Under the new agreements, PMI and JTI are committed to working
with the European Commission, the UK Government and customs
authorities across the EU to tackle the smuggling and
counterfeiting of their products. They will do this through
measures which include Know Your Customer rules and
track-and-trace technology.
The agreements also require PMI and JTI to make payments to the
UK authorities if their genuine products are seized by HMRC.
2. Further details of the two agreements can be found in the
following European Commission press releases:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1927&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/04/882&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=fr
3. The Government announced its intention to conclude
negotiations on signing these agreements at the time of the 2008
Pre-Budget Report, when it published Tackling Tobacco Smuggling
Together: An Integrated Strategy for HM Revenue and Customs and
the UK Border Agency. This document, which sets out the
Government's record on and future plans for tackling tobacco
smuggling can be found at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pbr2008/tobacco-2800.pdf
4. In April 2009 HM Revenue & Customs established inland
detection teams to target the illegal trade in tobacco, alcohol,
and oils. (HMRC Press Notice no. NAT 29/09) The UK Border Agency
operates detection functions at UK borders having brought together
officers staff from HM Revenue & Customs, the Border and
Immigration Agency and Foreign and Commonwealth Office visas. UKBA
began operation on 3 April 2008 and was officially launched by the
Home Secretary at Gatwick Airport. Its formation was announced in
November 2007 (Home Office Press Notice no. 178/2007).
For more information on this story please contact:
Senior Press Officer
Mike Burrell
Tel: 0207 147
0052
Email: Mike.burrell@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
Website http://www.hmrc.gov.uk