In the July 2022 issue of Tax Stamp & Traceability News™, Dr Marietta Ulrich-Horn of Securikett stated that her company had always maintained a strong focus on tamper-evident solutions for tax stamps, because if a genuine stamp can be transferred to another product for reuse, it’s as if that stamp were actually a fake, whatever the number of security features it was carrying.

This year has so far proven very successful for Authentix, as far as contract wins for fuel marking and tax stamp/marking systems on the African continent are concerned.

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.

On 1 June, SICPA Morocco inaugurated its new regional coding centre for highly secure tax stamps in the industrial zone of Sidi Bernoussi in Casablanca.

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.

Although excise tax management systems and tobacco control programmes have different goals, there is a point at which these goals overlap, given that both parties have an interest in eliminating illicit trade.

The consumption of alcoholic beverages is deeply embedded in many societies worldwide. According to Statista, global consumption in 2019 generated $1.53 trillion in legally registered sales (recorded alcohol), equating to total volume sales of more than 296 billion litres.

Counterfeit liquor, which for years has been a problem for connoisseurs of fine wine, champagnes, and single-malt scotch, has started to become an issue for America’s fine brown liquor – bourbon.

The tax stamp started life as a piece of paper that was almost the same for every product, but that soon evolved into different designs for different products, says Swiss company U-NICA, a leading provider of product and brand value protection solutions.

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?

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.

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.

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.