After more than 15 years’ experience in developing and operating SICPATRACE® – a leading product authentication and traceability solution for government authorities – SICPA has launched its latest technology platform: SICPATRACE® Evo.

First presented at the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum in May 2022, in this article Dr Alan Hodgson considers emerging technologies and developments that are likely to have an impact on the tax stamp and traceability industry.

Optel Group was a welcome addition to the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum™ this year as it brought a different emphasis to the table when it comes to tax stamp solution delivery. Dr Foued Barouni, Solutions Manager, presented a paper explaining how high-speed production conditions affect the way tax stamp compliance could be delivered.

In the world of public tenders, the acronyms RFI and RFP, as well as some others, are used on a regular basis by government institutions all over the world, as well as their authorised suppliers and, of course, the media. But does everyone really know what they stand for? And what their usage is, or should be?

The European Commission has appointed NYSE-listed Dow (one of the three largest chemical producers in the world) to supply the new common fiscal marker for tax rebated fuels in the European Union.

UK print specialist Hague Group has acquired PSL Print Management, also based in the UK. The acquisition has increased turnover for the enlarged group to £50 million, and makes it one of the largest privately owned print specialist groups in the UK.

The Tax Stamp and Traceability Forum™ was an ideal gathering to learn how ISO 22382:2018, the international tax stamp standard, is being used. It gave the opportunity to hear revenue agencies’ and tax stamp suppliers’ attitude to the standard four years after it was published.

A snapshot of the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum, Malta. More images and the conference review will be posted on the website shortly https://taxstamptraceabilityforum.com/.

In the second half of this year, SICPA will open its ‘unlimitrust’ campus, in a brand-new building situated close to its headquarters in Prilly, Switzerland.

Following its 5th Annual General Meeting, held in May 2022 in Malta during the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum, the International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) has appointed three directors to its board. Furthermore, ITSA is pleased to announce the appointment of a new chairman.

The market for legal cannabis is growing, and California, the largest regulated cannabis market in the United States, ranks first among states that are taking in more cannabis taxes than alcohol taxes.

While globally, most tax stamps are used on tobacco products at federal level, the situation is somewhat different in India, where almost all tax stamps in circulation are used on alcoholic beverages at individual state level.

The Tax Stamp and Traceability Forum™ (TSTF) returned as an in-person event in May 2022 with 194 registrants from 99 organisations and 35 countries. The conference was organised into eight sessions spanning two full days plus a pre-conference workshop day.

The Cannabis Work Group of AIM North America, the premier alliance for the automated data capture technologies industry, has released a white paper reviewing the use of automatic identification and data capture solutions (including barcodes, RFID, and NFC) for cannabis traceability.

After several years of little to no travel as a result of COVID-19, it was wonderful to meet up with old and new colleagues again at the High Security Printing™ Latin America conference, held in Mexico City in March.

Join us for a cannabis panel discussion on 17 May at the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum in Malta. Technology providers and government representatives will discuss how countries should be dealing with the high earning potential of cannabis versus more traditional tobacco and alcohol products, and will compare different seed-to-sale authentication and track and trace mechanisms for protecting against illicit trade.

The National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) in Bahrain has launched its digital tax stamp and traceability system on cigarettes, following the signing of a contract with De La Rue in 2021.

Following the implementation of its automated marking system in September 2020, the Togolese revenue authority, l’Office Togolais des Recettes (OTR), has reported a substantial increase in excise collections.

Canada’s 2022 budget has proposed potential changes to Canada’s federal excise tax system for cannabis, including allowing licensed cannabis producers to transfer excise duty stamps between them.

The advent of the smartphone has led to a surge in the development of smartphone readable security features.