Authentix has announced an exclusive partnership with ARMOR-IIMAK, a global player in the thermal transfer ribbon printing industry, to provide brand owners and their authorised contract manufacturers with a new covert security ink available in thermal transfer ribbon format.

It was 15 years ago, in July 2009, that the very first Tax Stamp News™ (now called Tax Stamp & Traceability News™) was published. To mark the occasion, we thought it would be interesting to go back in time, to the main news items covered by the newsletter between 2009 and today, and how they have developed over this period.

Combining physical and digital elements on tax stamps ensures that the strengths of both are exploited, and the weaknesses of each are covered. The International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) is pleased to announce the launch of a social media campaign examining the topic in depth, featuring quotes from industry insiders and stories from around the world that demonstrate the strength of a ‘phygital’ approach.

The Korea Minting, Security Printing and ID Card Operating Corp (KOMSCO) has developed a tax stamp in collaboration with VOICEYE, a 2D high-density barcode solution specialist, with a focus on critical global markets like tobacco, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals.

Microsoft Italy and the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS – the Italian Mint) have launched a strategic collaboration based on artificial intelligence to protect the authenticity of Italian products from counterfeiting. One of the pilot projects for this collaboration relates to the most exported Italian wine in the world, but also the most imitated: Prosecco.

During the Philippine Vape Festival, held in August, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) seized over 5,000 illicit vape products displayed and offered for sale at the event. The main way of identifying the vapes were illicit was their lack of tax stamps.

The Philippines’ House Ways and Means Committee has approved legislation that will expand the country’s tobacco tax stamp system into a more comprehensive approach for tracking the entire supply chain of tobacco products, including their origin, route, and final point of sale.

Reconnaissance International – co-publishers of Currency News™ (and a leading global source of business intelligence on currency, identity, authentication, tax stamps, and traceability) – have unveiled a new industry reference glossary.

De La Rue has announced its full year results for the period ending 30 March 2024, with its Authentication division (including tax stamp programmes) achieving record sales of £103.2 million. This figure surpasses the division’s £100 million target, and represents a 12.5% increase over 2023. The results are, however, overshadowed by a £235 million loan that becomes payable next July.

This article presents an integrated approach for ensuring producers of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) correctly report the volumes they put on the market (POM) and pay the appropriate SSB taxes and recycling fees.

Texas-based security solutions provider Authentix has acquired the authentication business assets of Meta Materials – namely, Nanotech Security Corporation (NSC) – for $10 million, excluding assets such as cash and real estate.

As has thankfully become a bit of a tradition again, post-COVID, ITSA (International Tax Stamp Association) recently held a pre-conference seminar on the occasion of the High Security Printing™ Latin America conference, which this year took place in Santiago, Chile.

By 2025, more than 100 million smartphone users in the US will use a QR code scanner on their mobile devices, compared to 70.6 million in 2020. But how can citizens be sure that what they are scanning is legitimate?

According to Statista, the e-cigarette market is projected to generate revenue of $26 billion in 2024, with a 3.93% global compound annual growth rate between 2024-2029. While the legitimate market is growing, the vape industry, like other sectors, is plagued by counterfeit and other illicit products.

Francisco Mandiola looks at some interesting developments in seafood traceability, including a new certification system in Chile that captures images of fish on a conveyer line and then uses specific algorithms to identify each species.

Take a look at TSTN’s main news items between 2009-2011, including problems faced with finalising the FCTC Protocol, efforts in the US to introduce federal tax stamps on cigarettes, and the industry’s growing acceptance of digital/physical solutions, unique identifying codes and smartphone authentication.

In a rapidly evolving excise landscape in which counterfeit goods and tax evasion pose major challenges, the incorporation of both physical and digital elements on tax stamps has emerged as a critical strategy for governments and businesses alike.

Food fraud has become quite the trend globally and, in May 2024, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) published a report on illicit trade in food and food fraud.

Smurfit Kappa Security Concepts (SKSC) has invested over €3 million in a brand new custom press (Perfect NT security printing press) from Rotatek.

According to the Sarajevo Times, the implementation of increased controls by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s tax authority and law enforcement agencies have drastically reduced the tobacco black market in the country, to the point where tobacco excise revenues are expected to exceed BAM 1 billion ($548 million) for the first time in history.