May, 2011:

Sydney flooded with illegal cigarettes

May 30th, 2011

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/

May 30, 2011

Illegal cigarettes on sale in Sydney shops. Journalist Joe Hilderbrand buys chop smokes. Intershop illegally imported cigarettes sold from under the counter. Pic. Stephen Cooper Source: The Daily Telegraph

SYDNEY is flooded with blackmarket cigarettes selling for as little as half the price of a genuine pack, but peddlers are avoiding punishment because it is tobacco companies who catch them.

The Daily Telegraph was able to purchase Chinese-made counterfeit cigarettes from outlets at Kings Cross and Warwick Farm.

British American Tobacco (BAT) conducts about 1000 undercover purchases each year and has taken legal action against more than 100 retailers in the past three years, effectively suing them for copyright infringements.

The Daily Telegraph was told this coincided with a drop-off in the number of inspections and prosecutions by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), which is putting resources into chasing high-profile millionaires through Project Wickenby.

Illegal retailers caught by the ATO would have to pay five times the excise they avoided, plus fines and possible jail time.

Related Coverage

Look-alike cigarette fight heats up Herald Sun, 1 day ago
Threat to flood us with cheap cigarettes Perth Now, 26 May 2011
No plans to hike tax on cigs The Daily Telegraph, 19 May 2011
Tobacco firms labelled drug pushers The Australian, 17 May 2011
Flood of cheap smokes threat Herald Sun, 16 May 2011

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In the year before Wickenby began, the ATO completed 53 tobacco prosecutions and had another 24 in progress. Last year it completed just seven.

Sources said it was left to tobacco companies to regulate the industry, serving notices on businesses for copyright infringement. Lawyers for BAT demand restitution for the estimated lost income and the retailers are told not to do it again.

In some cases counterfeit cigarettes are disguised to look like known brands – Winfield is a popular choice – and in others the brands are fabricated.

In just five visits to suspect shops, The Daily Telegraph was able to purchase an $80 carton of Winfield Blues from a Kings Cross tobacconist and three packets of tax-free cigarettes labelled “Intershop” from a Warwick Farm store for just $8 each.

The illegal import and sale of tobacco products led to $1.1 billion in lost tobacco excise and GST to the federal government

Chow stubs out hope of smokes tax U-turn

May 30th, 2011

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HK Standard — 30 May 2011

Health chief York Chow Yat-ngok says there will be no reversal of the tobacco tax despite protests by interest groups.

While Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun- wah has made some concessions over his budget proposals, Chow said a 41.5 percent tax on tobacco that took effect on February 23 will stay.

Instead, he said, he will try to get the support of lawmakers to enhance services aimed at helping smokers quit.

Chow was speaking after receiving a Director- General’s Special Recognition Award from Shin Young Soo, World Health Organization regional director for the Western Pacific.

The award honored the efforts of the secretary for food and health to curb smoking in the SAR and to mark World No Tobacco Day tomorrow.

“The local smoking population dropped to 12 percent last year, compared with 23 percent 20 years ago. Our recent study reveals over 60 percent of people back the tax hike and more than 20 percent say the tax is not high enough,” Chow said.

The tax hike aims to deter young people from smoking, he said.

“We hope to let them know the impact of smoking. Also, people may smoke less or even kick the habit. We have also strengthened our free smoking cessation services.”

The government raised expenditure on cessation services from about HK$10 million to more than HK$30 million this year, Chow said.

Meanwhile, pressure groups I Smoke Alliance, Momentum 107 and The Coalition of Hong Kong Newspaper and Magazine Merchants have called for the tax hike to be scrapped.

About 20 protesters carried slogans printed with “Taxpayers Remember, You Will Pay” outside The Mira, Tsim Sha Tsui, where the WHO award presentation was carried out, urging Chow to get an award for promoting contraband cigarettes.

Coalition chairman Liu Sair-ching said the sales revenue of newspaper vendors has fallen by 30 to 40 percent. “Some clients tell us they have to go for the contraband cigarettes since they can’t afford expensive ones with the tax hike,” Liu said.

Smoking banned in schools at all levels within the year

May 29th, 2011

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05/29/2011, Beijing Morning Post, 36 media hits —

By the end of this year, smoking will have been banned in all [Beijing] schools at all levels, achieving the standard of no one smoking, no cigarette odor and no cigarette butts in all areas both indoor and outdoor. Schools that refuse to rectify will be fined CNY 1,000-5,000. May 31 is the 24th World No Tobacco Day. Yesterday, the Beijing Patriotic Health Campaign Committee, Board of Education and Bureau of Health co-organized an event to kick off the smoke-free campus campaign. According to Bureau of Health Director Fang Laiying, the focus of tobacco control this year is educational facilities. Smoking is to be prohibited in all areas used for instruction at all places of learning. The “Smoke-Free School” standard must be achieved before the end of the year. Schools that do not comply will be fined CNY 1,000-5,000. Smoking, the sale of tobacco products, and tobacco advertising (or disguised tobacco advertising) shall be prohibited in all areas used for instruction at all childcare centers, primary schools, secondary schools, vocational high schools and institutes of higher learning, as well as all other educational or training facilities. To achieve the smoke-free standard there must be no one smoking, no cigarette odor and no cigarette butts in all areas both indoor and outdoor. Institutes of higher learning shall also prohibit smoking both indoors and outdoors at student living areas such as dormitories and cafeterias.

Hainan Province imposes stiffest penalty: Maximum CNY 1,000 for smoking in violation of ban

May 29th, 2011

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05/29/2011, Legal Evening News [Beijing], 15 media hits —

The day after tomorrow is the WHO’s 24th World No Tobacco Day. The Ministry of Health’s newly revised “Implementation Guidelines for Public Venue Health Management Procedures” stipulates that as of May 1, smoking is prohibited at all indoor public venues. The Implementation Guidelines have been in effect for nearly a month now; how are they being instituted across China? From figures provided in other media reports, a Legal Evening News journalist calculated a total of 18 local governments having taken action so far Regarding the parameters of the smoking ban, Harbin’s are the most comprehensive. In the area of penalization, Hainan Province has introduced the most stringent measures. Individuals found smoking in violation of the ban who then ignore remonstrations will be given a rectification order and a CNY 500-1,000 fine – currently the highest in China for an individual violation. Shanghai, Hubei Province and Hainan Province have all written into law that the average citizen is also entitled to tell smokers to put out their cigarette.

Government continues to strengthen anti-smoking resources

May 29th, 2011

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Hong Kong (HKSAR) – The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, has

reiterated that the Government will continue to strengthen resources aimed
at tobacco control and the reduction of smoking to further protect public
health.

Dr Chow made the remarks at today’s (May 29) “World No Tobacco Day 2011 –
Regional Launching and Award Ceremony” organised by the World Health
Organisation (WHO) in Hong Kong. During the ceremony, the WHO Regional
Director for the Western Pacific, Dr Shin Young-soo, presented the World No
Tobacco Day Director-General’s Special Recognition Award to Dr Chow to
commend Hong Kong’s accomplishments in tobacco control.

Dr Chow expressed his gratitude to the WHO for its recognition of Hong
Kong’s efforts in tobacco control, adding that it was an honour for him to
receive the award.

Dr Chow said, “The award has been earned by various sectors working
dedicatedly in carrying out tobacco control policies and measures over the
years.

These include the medical sector, the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and
Health, Legislative Council members, the academic sector, non-governmental
organisations, members of the public and certain government departments.”

The WHO declared May 31 as World No Tobacco Day with the aim of raising
awareness among people around the world of the harmful effects of tobacco
use and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Every year, the WHO recognises
individuals or organisations in each of the six WHO regions for their
accomplishments in the area of tobacco control. This recognition takes the
form of the World No Tobacco Day Director-General’s Special Recognition
Award and the World No Tobacco Day Award.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the theme of this year’s
World No Tobacco Day. The Framework is the first treaty negotiated under the
auspices of the WHO, and provides new legal dimensions for international
co-operation in tobacco control. It represents a signal achievement in the
advancement of public health.

World No Tobacco Day 2011 is designed to highlight the treaty’s overall
importance.

Source: HKSAR Government

http://7thspace.com/headlines/384415/government_continues_to_strengthen_anti_smoking_resources.html

HK official wins WHO award for accomplishments in tobacco control

May 29th, 2011

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HONG KONG, May 29 (Xinhua) — Secretary for Food and Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government York Chow was given a major award on Sunday by the World Health Organization (WHO) for his achievements in tobacco control in Hong Kong.

Chow received the trophy, WHO Director-General’s Special Recognition Award, from WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Shin Young-soo at the “World No Tobacco Day 2011 — Regional Launching and Award Ceremony.”

Chow expressed his gratitude to the WHO for its recognition of Hong Kong’s efforts in tobacco control, adding that it was an honor for him to receive the award.

“The award has been earned by various sectors working dedicatedly in carrying out tobacco control policies and measures over the years. These include the medical sector, the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, Legislative Council members, the academic sector, non-governmental organizations, members of the public and certain government departments,” he said.

Chow said the Hong Kong government would continue to strengthen resources aimed at tobacco control and the reduction of smoking to further protect public health.

The WHO declared May 31 as World No Tobacco Day with the aim of raising awareness among people around the world of the harmful effects of tobacco use and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Every year, the WHO recognizes individuals or organizations in each of the six WHO regions for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control. This recognition takes the form of the Director-General’s Special Recognition Award and the World No Tobacco Day Award.

This year, the other Director-General’s Special Recognition Award went to Greek Prime Minister George A. Papandreou.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day. The Framework is the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO, and provides new legal dimensions for international co-operation in tobacco control.

Since 1989, World No Tobacco Day has been observed around the world every year on May 31. It is meant to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. In 1988, World No Tobacco Day was observed on April 7.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-05/29/c_13899934.htm