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.

The programme for the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum™ (TSTF) is almost finalised and includes some interesting presentations by tax authorities and solution providers alike.

As the first G20 nation to legalise recreational cannabis, Canada is well-placed to set the regulatory blueprint for the world. But there are still kinks to be ironed out, including a call by operators for a single national excise stamp to replace the current provincial stamps.

Authentix has announced that it has acquired Netherlands-based Royal Joh Enschedé, a leading specialty printing and security solutions provider, from investment firm Nimbus.

High security printing is based on features made available exclusively for that market. In the case of special inks, for example, this includes pigments with several modes of fluorescence, rare earth pigments, or different types of color shifting.

Cambodia has revealed the features of its new cigarette tax stamps to vendors in prime locations across the country, thanks to a joint effort between the General Department of Taxation (GDT) and the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE), reports Khmer Times.

In the May 2023 issue of Tax Stamp & Traceability News™, we reported on how the tobacco lobbying concerns of several EU parliament members were largely being ignored by the European Commission.

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

A little over two years ago, Costa Rica was in the throes of allegations by TRACIT (Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade) that the best way to fight illicit tobacco trade was through a close collaboration between private sector companies (eg. tobacco producers) and the public sector.

Earlier this year, in an update on Latin America in this same newsletter, we posited that Argentina’s AFIP (Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos), the government institution in charge of the country’s tax policies, would be toughening up its stance against illicit tobacco trade and tax evasion.

OpSec Group has announced that it will list on the NASDAQ stock exchange by merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) – Investcorp Europe Acquisition Corp. The SPAC is an arm of OpSec’s current owners – the private equity firm Investcorp Technology Partners.

As the traditional linear 1D barcode celebrates its 50th birthday, its days could be numbered now that GS1 – the global body responsible for barcode standards – prepares for the worldwide acceptance of younger, 2D codes in retail outlets by the end of 2027.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Finance plans to increase excise tax revenue by three to four times through the implementation of excise stamps, traceability, and an advanced excise management system.

In April, the Informal European Parliamentary Working Group for preparing the revision of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (IPWG TPD) held a workshop with civil society organisations, to address the lobbying efforts and ‘soft power’ of the tobacco industry to influence EU policies.

We continue our series of interviews with members of the International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA), by talking with Gábor Zsámboki from ANY Security Printing in Hungary.

One of the most rapidly and widely embraced treaties in United Nations history, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) celebrates its 20th anniversary in May 2023.

The programme for the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum™ (TSTF) is busy taking shape, with the call for papers deadline coming up at the end of May.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation has announced that new excise stamps for tobacco and alcohol will be introduced in the country from 1 March 2025, and that they will be linked to the country’s extensive e-governance platform.

At its recent conference held in April, the US Tax Foundation, which is the nation’s leading independent body on tax policy, presented research on some of the most pressing issues in global taxation, including global minimum tax, carbon tax, and excise tax.

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.