This month, we continue our interview series exploring the experiences of International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) members, who offer personal perspectives on the tax industry, today’s challenges and opportunities, and tomorrow’s potential progress.

Nanotechnology has been a fertile breeding ground for authentication and brand protection devices – given that structures that can be controlled at the nanoscale (roughly the size of a few atoms or molecules) exhibit responses to light that are distinctive and near impossible to replicate. Now, a team of researchers and entrepreneurs has launched a new optical ink feature into the market.

As previously announced in Tax Stamp & Traceability News™, it has been five years since the international standard for tax stamps (ISO 22382:2018) was published by the International Organization for Standards (ISO), so in accordance with ISO procedures, this standard is now due to be reviewed.

As a large number of Tax Stamp & Traceability News™ readers are already aware, tobacco and alcohol producers spend significant amounts of time and effort lobbying against the installation of tax stamp and traceability systems that are fully managed by national revenue authorities.

Reconnaissance International is pleased to announce the release of its new publication – ‘Smartphones for Authentication’ – the only publication of its kind.

Since the introduction of its digital tax stamp, tracing, and reporting programme, Uganda has experienced continuous and sustained acceptance, implementation of and compliance with the programme.

Smart packaging is a term that means different things to different communities. The aim of this article is to take a wider look at trends in smart packaging and consider some of the potential implications for tax stamps and track and trace solutions.

Smoke Free Partnership, a coalition of NGOs working on EU policy analysis and advocacy linked to the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), has published a report by Luk Joossens, Senior Advisor, on the status of track and trace in countries that are party to the FCTC Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.

This month, we continue our interview series exploring the experiences of International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) members, who offer their perspective on the tax stamp industry, and their predictions of challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Established in 1952, the WCO (World Customs Organisation) is the global centre of customs experience, representing 185 customs administrations that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade.

It is International Standards Organization (ISO) practice to review its standards every five years. So, ISO 22382, titled ‘Guidelines for the content, security, issuance, and examination of excise tax stamps’, which was published in 2018, will now go through this regular review.

Following the news from the UK that tougher sanctions are being introduced on illicit tobacco sellers, this article takes a closer look at the close-knit network of organisations engaged in tackling illicit trade at retail level in the country.

This article is second in a series that aims to educate readers on the dynamic nature of free trade zones (FTZs) and key issues that warrant addressing, and offers a means by which suppliers of secure track and trace technologies may find opportunities in this potential new market. The first article can be found in the March 2023 issue of this newsletter.

KPMG has released the 2023 edition of its annual study, ‘Illicit Cigarette Consumption in the EU, UK, Norway, Switzerland, Moldova and Ukraine’, which reveals an overall increasing rate of illicit consumption in the region, especially in France.

This month, we present the sixth interview with an International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) member, providing their perspective on the present opportunities and challenges of the industry, and the developments they anticipate for its future.

India’s government banknote printer, Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL), is looking to target the tax stamp export market. The organisation is inviting bids for consultants or agencies to represent it globally for procurements related to excise labels and other security products, including banknotes, coins, security paper, and inks.

Nanobrick, the South Korean company founded in 2007 by its current CEO, Jae-Hyun Joo, is building a presence in the security and authentication field with what it calls its ‘active nano platform’ (ANP). Tax stamps are one of its target markets.

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.

At the recent World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council session, in Brussels, Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), was elected as chairperson of the Council, replacing Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Director General of Bahrain Customs.

Revenue authorities, experts, and solution providers from around the world have confirmed their speaking slot at the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum, taking place in Tbilisi, Georgia from 2-4 October 2023.