New requirements for the use of navigation seals for the transportation of tobacco products between Russia and Belarus will reduce the volume of counterfeit cigarettes in Russia by 45% or 600 million packs, because this identification tool allows you to track the exact location of shipments, record attempts to open or change the route, industry experts told RIA Novosti.
Since January 27, navigation seals have been used in Russia and Belarus for the transportation of a number of goods by road in order to combat counterfeiting, illegal imports and to control the movement of high-risk categories of goods. As RIA Novosti was informed by the Federal Customs Service (FCS) of the Russian Federation, this measure affected alcohol, tobacco raw materials, clothing, electronics, and audio and video devices.
"More than 45% of the illegal turnover consists of cigarettes of Belarusian origin. This is largely due to the fact that more than 90% of transit shipments of tobacco products from Belarus turn out to be fictitious - declared as intended for other countries, they are actually unloaded in Russia. About 600 million packs of illegal cigarettes arrive in this way every year. The damage caused to the budget due to such schemes is estimated at 58.5 billion rubles annually," said Vladlen Maksimov, President of the Small Format Trade Association.
"The use of navigation seals will make it possible to track the exact location of shipments, record attempts to open or change the route. This will actually stop the "criminal carousel", which is used to circumvent excise duties and causes enormous damage to the Russian economy. Thanks to the new measures, the volume of the illegal tobacco market can be significantly reduced," added Alexei Vorobyov, Director of Government Relations at JTI Russia.
He noted that the problem of illegal cigarette shipments affects not only the Belarusian government, but such products come from other countries, including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. "Supply chains range from cross-border shuttle smuggling to the use of fictitious export procedures from Russia and the so-called 'interrupted' transit through Russian territory," Vorobyov said.
Illegal tobacco trafficking affects the interests of bona fide producers, undermining the market, and creates significant additional risks: such cigarettes may not meet quality and safety standards, they are sold uncontrollably, and they may be sold to minors.
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