The third session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products will take place on 27-30 November in Panama, and the provisional agenda has now been released.

Tobacco stakeholders and the European Commission disagree over the practical value of the EU track and trace system on tobacco products, implemented across all member states in May 2019 as part of the Tobacco Products Directive, reports EURACTIV.

Secure marking and excise taxes operate hand in glove. But excise duties usually account for a small percentage of countries’ overall tax take.

While direct marking could be considered as an opportunity for traceability solutions, it could also be viewed as a threat to physical tax stamps.

SICPA has finalised the roll-out of its SICPATRACE® platform in the US state of Michigan, under a new five-year contract with the Department of Treasury.

Although secure track and trace systems are considered one of the most effective measures for reducing illicit trade, some governments are reluctant to implement them because of concerns about their cost.

Every government needs revenue to run the affairs of its country in the best possible manner. Tax evasion and leakages work like a parasite feeding off the overall wellbeing of citizens, which is why every government seeks to plug those leakages, and thus recover lost revenues.

The Indian state of Rajasthan is implementing holographic tax stamps and an end-to-end traceability system on liquor products, to allow the state excise department to track and trace each bottle and case of liquor.

During a recent symposium on the implementation of track and trace in the fertiliser sector, Pakistan’s FBR declared that, given the proven success of the system on tobacco and sugar, its aim going forward was to ensure ‘no production without taxation’ across the country.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has appointed Dentsu Tracking, a specialised brand of Dentsu International Switzerland, as provider of the UK’s standalone tobacco track and trace system.