Illicit tobacco imports ripping off Aussie taxpayers of at least $640 million
TAXPAYERS have been ripped off by at least $640 million because of illicit tobacco shipped by criminal gangs and dodgy importers in the last five years alone.
That figure is the amount of tax that should have been paid on illegally imported tobacco — almost entirely shipped as sea cargo — seized and destroyed by border authorities.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has vowed to crack down on the trade and put a stop to organised criminal syndicates eyeing Australia’s lucrative market.
“Illicit tobacco smugglers are ripping off taxpayers and putting cheap cigarettes into the hands of young kids and we are doing all we can to stamp them out,” Mr. Dutton said.
Related Posts
Smugglers caught with thousands of fake dollar bills
Police in Battambang have arrested three Thai men and a Cambodian for attempting...
Crackdown by Hong Kong customs nets illegal cigarettes worth HK$57 million.
Contraband cigarettes worth more than HK$57 million have been confiscated by Hong...
Customs seizes P120-M worth of smuggled cigarettes seized in Tawi-Tawi
More than P120 million worth of smuggled cigarettes were recently intercepted in...
Cigarette haul worth £500,000 intercepted by HMRC officers
Two men from Hounslow have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling £500,000 worth...