The purpose of this article is to outline the reasons we should look at the technologies being deployed for recycling as a potential opportunity. We will look at three technologies in various states of development and set them in context of our industry.

A new nationwide study among 2,000 US adults, commissioned by SICPA North America and conducted online by the Harris Poll, shows broad support for securely labelling cannabis products to verify their legitimacy and safety in the marketplace.

A number of new tax stamp launches have been reported recently in the media. On 1 January 2022, Bulgaria will introduce new stamps on tobacco products, with stamps for bottled alcohol beverages following three months later.

We are delighted that the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum™ will be returning next year and that the tax stamp community will be able to gather together once again, in person, after what seems like a very long time.

In the July 2021 issue of Tax Stamp & Traceability News™, an article discussed the legal issues surrounding cannabis (or marijuana to those of us who are a little older) in the United States, where many states have already put in place legislation to track and trace the illegal distribution of cannabis and protect tax revenues.

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has claimed a staggering ZAR 19 billion ($1.28 billion) in unpaid taxes from just one company, Verbena Freight and Logistics Management, which has since been accused of tobacco smuggling. Most of the outstanding amount relates to customs duties.

The World Conference on Tobacco or Health recently hosted a virtual summit, in partnership with – among others – the World Health Organisation, WHO FCTC Secretariat and Framework Convention Alliance.

The visible digital seal technology, originally adopted by countries for travel document verification, is now gaining wider international acceptance as an affordable and efficient solution outside of the travel domain – including on tax stamps.

The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) has released its ‘Technology and Security: Countering Criminal Infiltrations in the Legitimate Supply Chain’ report.

The Tanzanian Parliamentary Budget Committee has commended the performance of the country’s tax stamp programme and has called for it to be extended to more products.

Nasdaq-listed VerifyMe, which uses physical, digital and online technology to create customised authentication, track and trace and customer engagement solutions, recently announced an initial order for 4 million VerifyMe technology-enabled labels from a new cannabis-related client.

Lately, we’ve been hearing of a growing number of companies that are offering, or expanding on, their market surveillance and product intelligence services as a way of helping enforcement officials and brand owners to quickly identify illicit trade activity in particular markets, and to act upon these activities before it is too late.

De La Rue recently announced a major investment to expand its existing facilities in Malta, in order to create a 29,000m2 manufacturing site. The expansion will double De La Rue Authentication’s manufacturing capacity for tax stamps and brand protection labels.

The International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) is being increasingly recognised by government revenue departments as an authoritative body of experts on tax stamp and traceability solutions for excise products.

In July, Russia’s new National Product Traceability System (NPTS) transitioned from being experimental and voluntary, to a mandatory scheme for businesses dealing in certain types of products. The new scheme was implemented alongside the already existing Chestny ZNAK (‘honest mark’) product traceability system, introduced in 2019.

Four countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Vietnam – could have collected an additional $4.81 billion in tax revenue over the last two years and prevented more than 1.3 million premature deaths, if they had had an effective tobacco tax policy in place, claims a recent study released by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA).

In June, in an unfortunate hooch tragedy (hooch is another word for moonshine – or illicit liquor), more than 100 people lost their lives in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Following the incident, a police raid raised concerns that the state excise policy was inadequate and needed reviewing, especially in relation to the use of tax stamps as an important anti-counterfeiting tool.

Malta is showing the world how to address the complex problem of illicit tobacco – ie. by adopting a steady and consistent approach.

In July, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) held a webinar on the benefits of track and trace systems as tools in tobacco tax administration, as well as the best practices for implementing such systems.

In last month’s Tax Stamp & Traceability News™, we published the first of a two-part review of tax stamps and traceability programmes in Latin America. This month, we give a brief update on Central American countries, together with more in-depth coverage of Costa Rica and Ecuador, where there have been several key developments.