Moves to stop illegal cigarette trade boost black market

The Government is missing the target when it comes to reducing tobacco consumption, writes Tony Hickey. I strongly believe that smoking, and the distribution of tobacco products, should be closely regulated by government and State agencies. This is to protect public health, especially that of children, and to safeguard the very considerable revenues that the Exchequer generates.  From personal experience, I know that the money made by criminals and subversives from illegal involvement in the tobacco trade is very substantial and continues to grow. In recent years, successive governments have increased the taxes and duties on cigarettes in a laudable effort to reduce smoking. Unfortunately, this policy has had the unintended consequence of driving many cigarette buyers, including children, into the black market where there are numerous suppliers at markets, on the streets and going door-to-door offering cut-price products of sometimes dubious quality, but at much lower prices than legal outlets. The Minister for Finance acknowledged this himself last month when he said, “As we continue to use price to discourage people from smoking I think we will divert more and more of the trade to the illicit trade.”

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/moves-to-stop-illegal-cigarette-trade-boost-black-market-30054124.html