Clear The Air News Tobacco Blog Rotating Header Image

February 3rd, 2012:

Tobacco companies are biggest political spenders

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-01/donations-yarn/3805064/?site=melbourne

Tobacco companies spent about A$14 million fighting plain packaging laws.

Australia New figures have revealed the political spending of tobacco companies, the mining industry and clubs as they fought to reverse government policy in the past financial year.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has released financial disclosure returns that show the donations of more than A$11,500 made to political parties and the political expenditure of donors.

Large tobacco companies spent about A$14 million as they fought against the Federal Government’s plain packaging laws.

British American Tobacco, Phillip Morris and Imperial Tobacco gave a total of A$9 million to the Alliance of Australian Retailers, which led the campaign against the laws.

Imperial Tobacco also separately spent more than A$4 million fighting the move with printed material and broadcast advertising and Philip Morris added to that with nearly A$500,000.

The Coalition also received donations worth A$184,000 from British American Tobacco and A$79,000 from Philip Morris.

Mining companies and associated lobby groups were also big donors and big campaigners as they fought the Government’s tax on mining profits and the carbon pricing scheme.

The Minerals Council of Australia spent nearly A$4 million fighting the tax, with most of that spent on broadcast advertising.

The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies spent another A$2.2 million.

Clive Palmer’s Mineralogy gave the Coalition parties, at federal and state levels, nearly A$500,000.

His Queensland Nickel gave another A$500,000 to Queensland’s LNP.

Lion’s share

Fighting the crackdown on poker machines cost Clubs New South Wales close to A$1 million.

It also gave nearly A$500,000 in political donations, with the lion’s share going to the Coalition.

The Australian Hotels Association also spent more than A$850,000 on donations, most of which again went to the Liberal and National parties.

The AEC figures also show political activist group Get Up spent A$5 million on political campaigning, while the Australian Council of Trade Unions spent A$6.5 million.

The individual donor who gave the most was travel website millionaire Graeme Wood, who gave A$1.6 million to the Greens.

Total donations to the major political parties came to more than A$200 million.

The Labor Party received about A$92 million and the Coalition took in nearly A$113 million.

Tobacco giants lose bid to keep cigarettes on display in Scottish shops

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/health-news/2012/02/02/tobacco-giants-lose-bid-to-keep-cigarettes-on-display-in-scottish-shops-86908-23733078/

ONE of the world’s largest tobacco firms has lost its latest legal challenge to plans for a ban on the open display of cigarettes in shops.

Imperial Tobacco’s appeal was unanimously dismissed by three senior judges at the Court of Session in Edinburgh today.

The company’s civil action, which also opposed a ban on tobacco vending machines, delayed the implementation of the Scottish Government’s measures which are aimed at stopping young people from taking up smoking.

No date has yet been set for the bans to be brought in and Imperial Tobacco has not ruled out a further appeal against the ruling.

The court’s latest decision was however welcomed by Scotland’s Public Health Minister Michael Matheson, who said the proposals would play a “crucial role” in preventing youngsters from starting to smoke.

The Scottish Parliament backed the measures in the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act in January 2010, which was granted Royal Assent two months later.

Bristol-based Imperial went to court to try to overturn the plans, claiming they fell outside the legislative scope of Holyrood.

A judge rejected the the firm’s arguments in September 2010, saying none of the challenges were “well founded”.

Imperial, the firm behind the Lambert & Butler and Richmond cigarette brands, appealed against that decision but its case was once again rejected today.

The ruling was given by Scotland’s top judge, the Lord President Lord Hamilton, sitting with Lords Reed and Brodie.

Lord Hamilton said of the display ban: “Such display is conceived to encourage the purchase of such products. As the consumption, particularly by smoking, of such products is believed to be adverse to health, section one is designed to inhibit, without prohibiting, their purchase.”

He added that the proposed vending machine ban related to the “ready access” by children and young people to tobacco products.

He wrote: “Such ready access is conceived to be harmful as it facilitates the acquisition and ultimate smoking, by children and young persons, of tobacco products.

“Section nine is designed, again by a criminal sanction, to prevent children and young people, as well as other persons, from having such ready access to tobacco products.

“The risk which the smoking of tobacco products is perceived to present is to health, primarily of the smokers as consumers but also of those non-smokers who may be exposed to a smoke-filled environment and, by passive smoking, suffer adverse affection.”

He said it was not without significance that Westminster has already made equivalent measures for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Mrl Matheson said he was “delighted” with the ruling.

“Each year in Scotland 15,000 children and young people start smoking and the potential impact on their health is frightening,” he said.

“A child who starts smoking at 15 or younger is three times more likely to die of cancer as a result than someone who starts smoking in their mid-20s.

“It is within the context of protecting future generations from the devastating effects of smoking that the measures set out in our Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010 should be viewed.

“The ban on tobacco sales from automatic vending machines and the ban on display of tobacco and smoking-related products in shops have a crucial role to play in preventing the children of today becoming tomorrow’s smokers.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said they were not yet in a position to name a date for the bans to be brought in.

A separate legal challenge to the ban on cigarette vending machines, raised by another firm, is still before the courts.

Imperial Tobacco has not ruled out taking a fresh appeal to the UK Supreme Court. However, the company said it would need to look at the judgment in detail before making a decision. A spokesman said: “Clearly we’re disappointed. We’ll be reviewing the judgment with a view to appealing it.”

Anti-tobacco charity ASH Scotland welcomed the ruling. Chief executive Sheila Duffy said: “This was a typically cynical attempt to undermine our democratically elected Scottish Parliament, years of accumulated research evidence and the well-being of the Scottish people, purely to protect their own profits.

“Tobacco is not a normal product. It kills half of those who use it and damages the health of those who are exposed to it through no choice of their own.”

Vicky Crichton, Cancer Research UK public affairs manager, said: “We welcome this ruling by appeal court judges. We hope this judgment allows Scotland to move forward with plans to protect future generations of children by putting tobacco out of sight and out of mind.

“One in two long-term smokers will die prematurely because of smoking and most become addicted as teenagers, so it is vital that everything possible is done to make cigarettes less appealing to children.”

Anti smoking laws are good for the catering business

Provisional statistics of restaurant receipts and purchases for the fourth quarter of 2011 and for the whole year of 2011 released
************************************************************

The value of total receipts of the restaurants sector was $23.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011, up by 7.4% over the fourth quarter of 2010.  Over the same period, the value of total purchases by restaurants increased by 10.4% to $8.7 billion.

After discounting the effect of price changes, total restaurant receipts rose by 1.2% in volume in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared with a year earlier.  The relevant components of the Consumer Price Index are used as deflators.

These are the provisional figures on restaurant receipts and purchases released today (February 2) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).

Analysed by type of restaurant, total receipts of fast food shops increased by 10.1% in value and 4.7% in volume in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared with a year earlier.

Over the same period, total receipts of miscellaneous eating and drinking places increased by 9.5% in value and 1.7% in volume, while total receipts of Chinese restaurants increased by 7.0% in value and 0.4% in volume.

Total receipts of non-Chinese restaurants increased by 6.5% in value and 0.3% in volume in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared with a year earlier.  As for bars, total receipts increased by 4.2% in value and 0.1% in volume.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, the volume of total restaurant receipts increased by 1.8% in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared with the third quarter of 2011.

For 2011 as a whole, the value of total receipts for the restaurants sector was $89.3 billion.  This represented an increase of 6.4% in value and 1.0% in volume compared with 2010.  Over the same period, the value of total purchases of restaurants increased by 10.9% to $32.7 billion.

Analysed by type of restaurant, total receipts of miscellaneous eating and drinking places in 2011 increased by 7.7% in value and 0.7% in volume over 2010.

Concurrently, total receipts of Chinese restaurants increased by 7.2% in value and 1.8% in volume, while total receipts of fast food shops increased by 7.0% in value and 2.2% in volume.

As for bars, total receipts in 2011 increased by 5.8% in value and 2.6% in volume.

Total receipts of non-Chinese restaurants also increased by 4.4% in value but decreased by 1.2% in volume in 2011 compared with a year earlier.

To facilitate better understanding of the short-term business performance of the restaurants sector, statistics in respect of the restaurant receipts and purchases in individual months of the reference quarter are also compiled.

Analysed by month, the value of total receipts of the restaurants sector was provisionally estimated at $7.7 billion, $7.6 billion and $8.4 billion respectively in October, November and December 2011.  The provisional value of total purchases by restaurants was $2.8 billion, $2.8 billion and $3.1 billion respectively in October, November and December 2011.

After discounting the effect of price changes, total restaurant receipts increased by 0.7%, 1.2% and 1.5% in volume respectively in October, November and December 2011 compared with a year earlier.

Table 1 presents the revised figures of total purchases by the restaurants sector, restaurant receipts by type of restaurant for the third quarter of 2011 and the provisional figures for the fourth quarter of 2011 as well as the corresponding figures for the whole year of 2011.  Detailed figures by month are also presented.

Table 2 presents the revised value indices of restaurant receipts by type of restaurant for the third quarter of 2011 and the provisional indices for the fourth quarter of 2011 as well as the corresponding figures for the whole year of 2011, with the average value index of restaurant receipts from October 2009 to September 2010 taken as 100.  Detailed figures by month are also presented.

Table 3 presents the revised volume indices of restaurant receipts by type of restaurant for the third quarter of 2011 and the provisional indices for the fourth quarter of 2011 as well as the corresponding figures for the whole year of 2011, with the average volume index of restaurant receipts from October 2009 to September 2010 taken as 100.  Detailed figures by month are also presented.

Table 4 presents the year-on-year rate of change in total restaurant receipts in volume terms based on the original quarterly series, as well as the quarter-to-quarter rate of change based on the seasonally adjusted series.

The revised figures on restaurant receipts and purchases for the fourth quarter of 2011 (with breakdown by month) will be released through the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hong_kong_statistics/index.jsp) and relevant publications of the Department starting from March 20, 2012.

The classification of restaurants follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification (HSIC), which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into different industry classes.

More detailed statistics are given in the Report on Quarterly Survey of Restaurant Receipts and Purchases.  Users can download this publication free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/products_and_services/products/publications/statistical_report/commerce_and_industry/index.jsp).

Users who have enquiries about the survey results may contact the Distribution Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel.: 2123 1040 or e-mail: qsr@censtatd.gov.hk).

Ends/Thursday, February 2, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:33

Download PDF : P201202020297_0297_89745

PIA crew detained in US for several hours

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Pakistan/PIA-crew-detained-in-US-for-several-hours/Article1-805660.aspx

Press Trust Of India
Lahore, February 02, 2012

First Published: 16:09 IST(2/2/2012)
Last Updated: 16:11 IST(2/2/2012)

Share more

2 Comments

Email print

The cabin crew of a Pakistan International Airlines flight was detained for several hours at John F Kennedy Airport in New York for allegedly smuggling hundreds of cartons of cigarettes and dozens of mobile phone sets, officials said on Thursday.
Authorities at the US airport held eight members of the crew of PIA flight PK-721 on Wednesday after over 500 cigarette cartons and a large number of mobile sets, mostly BlackBerrys and iPhones, were found in their baggage.

The items were in excess of the permissible limits, officials said.

The authorities interrogated the crew members for five hours and released them after imposing a heavy fine on PIA, officials said.

PIA spokesman Sultan Hasan described the incident as unfortunate and said an inquiry had been initiated against the crew members.

“Strict action will be taken against them if the charges against them are proved,” he said.

Incidentally, earlier this week, another PIA crew member had been jailed for 32 months for trying to smuggle dozens of counterfeit passports and fake passport materials into the UK.

Felixstowe: Four arrested in alleged tobacco-smuggling plot

http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/felixstowe_four_arrested_in_alleged_tobacco_smuggling_plot_1_1192924

By COLIN ADWENT, crime correspondent Tuesday, January 31, 2012
12:00 PM

FELIXSTOWE: Four suspected smugglers are on bail today after large quantities of hand-rolling tobacco were seized at Felixstowe and Southampton ports.

They include a 40-year-old woman who was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of evading more than £1million in excise duty, following the discovery of hauls totalling 6.5 tonnes.

UK Border Agency officers uncovered the three separate cargo loads of tobacco, which were recorded on import documents as ‘Chinese Herbs’, last April.

Three tonnes were
seized at Felixstowe, while around three-and-a-half tonnes were found at Southampton.

Each illegal consignment was referred to criminal investigators of HM Revenue and Customs for investigation.

It is estimated the total haul could have made over 12 million cigarettes.

The woman was arrested in Croydon, Greater London.

Meanwhile three men, aged 25, 29, and 36, were also detained in North Kensington, London, in relation to 1.65 tonnes of tobacco seized at Southampton Container Port in December 2011.

All the suspects are Chinese nationals. At least one of the men is believed to be in the county illegally.

A home in Croydon, three in London, and a commercial address in North Kensington, London, have been searched by customs officers, as the investigation continues.

The inquiry has already spanned a nine-month period as the Felixstowe seizure was made in April last year.

The female suspect has been released on bail until April 24, while the men are on bail until April 19.

All four were arrested for being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of excise duty chargeable on tobacco.

HM Revenue & Customs spokesman Bob Gaiger said: “Smuggling cigarettes and tobacco into the UK can have a devastating impact on legitimate traders and deprives the nation of around £2billion a year in lost revenue which is needed for vital public services.

“We urge people to work more closely with us in the fight against crime and encourage anyone who is aware of illicit cigarettes or tobacco being smuggled into or sold in the UK to contact the Customs hotline 0800 59 5000 or e-mail customs.hotline@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.”