Smart packaging is a term that means different things to different communities. The aim of this article is to take a wider look at trends in smart packaging and consider some of the potential implications for tax stamps and track and trace solutions.

This article is second in a series that aims to educate readers on the dynamic nature of free trade zones (FTZs) and key issues that warrant addressing, and offers a means by which suppliers of secure track and trace technologies may find opportunities in this potential new market. The first article can be found in the March 2023 issue of this newsletter.

This month, we continue our interview series exploring the experiences of International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) members, who offer their perspective on the tax stamp industry, and their predictions of challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Established in 1952, the WCO (World Customs Organisation) is the global centre of customs experience, representing 185 customs administrations that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade.

Revenue authorities, experts, and solution providers from around the world have confirmed their speaking slot at the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum, taking place in Tbilisi, Georgia from 2-4 October 2023.

De La Rue has announced that its Authentication division is on track to exceed £100 million in revenue for fiscal year 2024, demonstrating good growth versus 2023 results.

The third session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products will take place on 27-30 November in Panama, and the provisional agenda has now been released.

India’s government banknote printer, Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL), is looking to target the tax stamp export market. The organisation is inviting bids for consultants or agencies to represent it globally for procurements related to excise labels and other security products, including banknotes, coins, security paper, and inks.

At the recent World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council session, in Brussels, Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), was elected as chairperson of the Council, replacing Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Director General of Bahrain Customs.

KPMG has released the 2023 edition of its annual study, ‘Illicit Cigarette Consumption in the EU, UK, Norway, Switzerland, Moldova and Ukraine’, which reveals an overall increasing rate of illicit consumption in the region, especially in France.

Nanobrick, the South Korean company founded in 2007 by its current CEO, Jae-Hyun Joo, is building a presence in the security and authentication field with what it calls its ‘active nano platform’ (ANP). Tax stamps are one of its target markets.

This month, we present the sixth interview with an International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) member, providing their perspective on the present opportunities and challenges of the industry, and the developments they anticipate for its future.

A little over two years ago, Costa Rica was in the throes of allegations by TRACIT (Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade) that the best way to fight illicit tobacco trade was through a close collaboration between private sector companies (eg. tobacco producers) and the public sector.

Earlier this year, in an update on Latin America in this same newsletter, we posited that Argentina’s AFIP (Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos), the government institution in charge of the country’s tax policies, would be toughening up its stance against illicit tobacco trade and tax evasion.

Cambodia has revealed the features of its new cigarette tax stamps to vendors in prime locations across the country, thanks to a joint effort between the General Department of Taxation (GDT) and the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE), reports Khmer Times.

In the May 2023 issue of Tax Stamp & Traceability News™, we reported on how the tobacco lobbying concerns of several EU parliament members were largely being ignored by the European Commission.

The programme for the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum™ (TSTF) is almost finalised and includes some interesting presentations by tax authorities and solution providers alike.

Authentix has announced that it has acquired Netherlands-based Royal Joh Enschedé, a leading specialty printing and security solutions provider, from investment firm Nimbus.

High security printing is based on features made available exclusively for that market. In the case of special inks, for example, this includes pigments with several modes of fluorescence, rare earth pigments, or different types of color shifting.

OpSec Group has announced that it will list on the NASDAQ stock exchange by merging with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) – Investcorp Europe Acquisition Corp. The SPAC is an arm of OpSec’s current owners – the private equity firm Investcorp Technology Partners.