Tobacco smuggling: HMRC 'failures' highlighted by MPs

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Counterfeit cigarettes seized by customs officers at Birmingham Airport.


MPs have warned HM Revenue and Customs initiatives to fight tobacco smuggling are not working.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the UK economy lost ?1.9bn a year through tobacco smuggling, equal to 20% of all tax collected on cigarettes.

Its report concluded the HMRC was "in the dark" about how effective its enforcement strategy was.

An HMRC spokesman said it had more than halved the size of the illicit market in cigarettes.

'Painfully slow'

PAC chair Margaret Hodge said she was concerned that three out of five new HMRC initiatives to tackle smuggling had produced nothing by March 2013.

"The Department and Border Force have been painfully slow in taking forward new proposals to improve performance," she said.

She added the two government agencies had failed to make a realistic assessment of what could be achieved and by when.

Ms Hodge said there had been only 265 prosecutions for tobacco fraud in 2012-2013, while prosecutions for organised crime fell from 62 to 51.

An HMRC spokesman said the body had more than halved the size of the illicit cigarette market, highlighting the seizure of nearly 3.6bn cigarettes and more than 1000 tonnes of rolling tobacco since 2011.

"Disrupting criminal businesses is at the heart of HMRC's strategy to clamp down on this illicit trade," he said.

"The tobacco smuggling gangs are constantly adapting to the huge downward pressure HMRC puts them under. This pressure has caused the long term decline of this illegal trade."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24469588

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hypocritical basads, nothing is mentioned about the health risks or any shite like that from smoking, its all about the 1.9bn lost in tax, what do they expect ffs when baccy is up to about 16.50 fur 50 grams in the shops 20 fags from about ?7-9, simple solution cut the tax then theres no need fur bootleg baccy/fags, they would make more than the 1.9 bn lost thru smuggling, but as usual they want it all ways ffs and before any duf jumps in with the cost to treat smoking related illnesses, few years ago the cost of treating smoking related illnesses to the nhs was 4bn, tax raised from baccy/fags 8bn, so go figure.

[rds60h]

hypocritical basads, nothing is mentioned about the health risks or any shite like that from smoking, its all about the 1.9bn lost in tax, what do they expect ffs when baccy is up to about 16.50 fur 50 grams in the shops 20 fags from about ?7-9, simple solution cut the tax then theres no need fur bootleg baccy/fags, they would make more than the 1.9 bn lost thru smuggling, but as usual they want it all ways ffs and before any duf jumps in with the cost to treat smoking related illnesses, few years ago the cost of treating smoking related illnesses to the nhs was 4bn, tax raised from baccy/fags 8bn, so go figure.

Now that is the voice of common sense !!!!
Unfortunately because it is common sense it will never be considered.

[ifred]

Well then halve the tax on smoking. Run a "smoke more to save the economy" ad campaign, stop treating smoke related conditions on the NHS
a win,win,win situation, govt collect more tax from the smokers, smoking more. They die quicker, we saving on the cost of NHS treatment and we pay less out on their pension contributions.....A clear winner all round

[Meat-Head]

somewhere was a thread think gastonj something like - everything but the real reason

govment did a poll or something about why fags were smuggled or something

[Snowy79]

No amount of tax benefits can replace the lives of the passive smokers killed by others smoking.

[darrenhyland]

Watched my Mam dying in the bed at home for four years from lung cancer from smoking....a horrible slow agonising death it was...........absolutely detest the damn things......gave em up 8 years ago and will never go back.

[ifred]

Watched my Mam dying in the bed at home for four years from lung cancer from smoking....a horrible slow agonising death it was...........absolutely detest the damn things......gave em up 8 years ago and will never go back.

Sorry for you loss and pain mate glad you kicked the weed.
worse think is the big boys knew the real risk of smoking sometime in the 1950 but decided to keep it a secret, hide all the reports....big money wins over the plebs everytime....... Banksters

[Canker_Canison]

Well then halve the tax on smoking. Run a "smoke more to save the economy" ad campaign, stop treating smoke related conditions on the NHS

They already refuse to treat smokers with life threatening conditions if they refuse to give up smoking.

To get treatment you have to quit.

[rds60h]

I'm not supporting an arguement for smoking just pointing out that government short term greed wins over common sense.
Just as abolishing road tax and adding coppers to fuel prices would be far more economical than the system in place now, plus it would then be those who use the roads more or who own the gas guzzelers and use them on a regular basis who would pay in line with the actual use of vehicles. In fact it could also be extended to include insurance and would negate the losses of road tax dodgers and no longer punish those who pay for insurance but end up paying out because they have been hit by a non insured drivers and would also generate extra revenue from any foreign vehicles using our roads.........................Sorry, that's a different subject, I got carried away.

[Meat-Head]

.
Just as abolishing road tax and adding coppers to fuel prices would be far more economical than the system in place now

would also generate extra revenue from any foreign vehicles using our .

OFF TOPIC:-

Rumor states that's what the Frogench do anyway, when was younger thought you will be paying tax to cut your grass, cement mixer etc etc.

But when you have a sister with a low emmision car and does a million miles a year, yet i pay ?220 and do 3000 MAX a year, it is fair

ON TOPIC:-

Not sure the excat fault, you you can get people with problems with their shitter and smokeing is a GREAT help for the fault.