Lebanon is one of the few nations where the tobacco sector, including tobacco leaf farming and manufacturing, falls under state control.

Last year, we launched a series of interviews with International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) members to collect personal insights into the advances, challenges and possible future developments shaping the tax stamp industry’s evolution.

The manufacturing and sale of counterfeit beverages is alarmingly high in Pakistan, particularly in Punjab, the country’s most populated province. This illegal activity is continuing unabated, despite raids and confiscation of machinery carried out by the Punjab Food Authority (PFA).

This article is the third in a series on the topic of illicit trade and its relationship with free trade zones (FTZs). It is intended to foster consideration and discussion for secure traceability solutions, building upon the analyses provided in the articles published in this newsletter in March and August 2023.

The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) has announced it will be expanding the use of excise tax stamps to a broader range of excisable products beyond cigarettes, following a 2021 amendment to the country’s Customs and Excise Act.

Looking back over the year that was, three key developments stand out from the rest, as captured in this article.

Tax stamp and traceability developments in Argentina, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela; Kenya Revenue Authority seeks tax stamp price increase in bid to grow revenue collection;

This month, we are pleased to present the latest entry in our ongoing interview series exploring the professional perspectives of International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) members.

Never a dull day in Latin America! The recent general election in Argentina saw flamboyant libertarian Javier Milei ascend to the presidency, with a promise to re-invent the Argentine economic wheel by eliminating not only the Argentina peso, but also many ministries and thousands of government employees.

While tax stamps often use diffractive effects to protect against counterfeiting, the process for making these stamps can often be time consuming and limited to printing firms with specialist equipment. But that could be about to change!

During the summer of 2021, I looked at the illicit trade that had started to spin out of control in Australia in the wake of the pandemic.

The 10th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), and the Third session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, has been postponed from November 2023 to as early as possible in 2024.

In early October, the Georgia Revenue Service (GRS) co-hosted the Tax Stamp and Traceability Forum™ with Reconnaissance International to showcase the success of its local solution and discuss the latest developments in the industry.

Demax Holograms was one of the first manufacturers of security holograms in eastern Europe and now sells its products to over 70 different countries. It took the opportunity to present its latest nano-optical elements for physical security at the recent Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum™ in Tbilisi, Georgia (2-4 October 2023).

Recently, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Tabaconomía, a tobacco control think-tank that is part of Bloomberg Philanthropies, held a webinar to discuss the status of tobacco taxation post-COVID-19.

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has revealed that the country’s fuel marking and quality monitoring programme has led to a drastic reduction in fuel adulteration, from 30% in 2015 to less than 0.5% this year.

Singapore is making amendments to its Free Trade Zones Act to enhance regulation and control of goods that flow through the 10 free trade zones (FTZs) in the country.

With three new companies recently added to the growing membership base of the International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA), the total number of members now stands at 28 – the highest level yet!

As previously reported in Tax Stamp & Traceability News™, the international standard for excise tax stamps, ISO 22382:2018, is now due its five- year review, in accordance with ISO procedures (the International Organization for Standards).

Oumolat Security Printing, owned by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE), has entered into a strategic partnership with SICPA to print enhanced tax stamps and track activities through the integration of advanced technologies.