The time has now come for us to be considering the changes that the current pandemic will make to our industry. The purpose of this article is to look at the reshaping of one particular technology with the intention of prompting a similar appraisal of others. It is does not attempt to identify all the solutions but to at least propose a framework for the questions.

It may not have been like the in-person seminars we’re all accustomed to, or yearning for, but we were very happy to report that the International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) webinar for the Latin American region, held on 3 December under the title ‘Illicit Tobacco during Lockdown: Controlling Tobacco in a COVID-19 Context’, drew close to 150 registrants from all over the Spanish-speaking world.

A review by Ian Lancaster, project leader for ISO 22382 tax stamp guidance standard.

AIPIA, the Active & Intelligent Packaging Industry Association, held its conference on Smart Packaging in mid-September – it’s first ‘Virtual Congress’.

In October, the International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) wrote to Julio Castilla Peláez, President of the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce (CCCR), responding to an article in the La Nación newspaper titled ‘Traders reject attempt to revive plan to label and monitor liquor’.

Writing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a new public sector tax stamp programme, or even to update an existing programme, can be a daunting prospect. Where does one start? What has to go into this RFP? How comprehensive does it need to be, and how does one avoid any hint of corruption in the process?

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, South Africa introduced two highly contentious prohibitions, banning the sale of both alcohol and tobacco products. The impact has seen both a complete loss of all duties and taxes from these commodities, and a booming illicit trade.

2020 was supposed to be the year cannabis went mainstream in the United States. As the New Year rang in, cannabis was already legalised for medical use in 33 states and even legalised for adult recreational use in 11 states.

In the year following the US state of Michigan’s introduction of a new tobacco excise tax stamp in 2014, tax revenues increased by $15.7 million – when they had in fact been predicted to decline – and exceeded the forecast for the year by nearly $30 million. Furthermore, it took only one year to recoup the costs of introducing this new stamp. Similarly, in Mozambique, alcohol and tobacco excise tax revenues increased by 85% in the first year after the introduction of a new stamp in 2017.

An international trade body is on a mission to recruit new members who can help fight the fraudulent trade of tobacco, alcohol and other products.