Shopper's was able to get acquainted with the Ministry of Finance's concept for creating a register of participants in the wholesale and retail turnover of tobacco and nicotine-containing products. It is about creating a register of tobacco sellers. To get into it, you will need to register in the Honest Sign system, no tax debts, availability of premises, etc. The authenticity of the document was confirmed by two top managers of tobacco companies involved in government discussions on tobacco market regulation.
Kommersant previously reported that the creation of such a registry is being discussed in the government along with the introduction of licensing of sellers. The proposals of the departments should form the basis for the reform of the trade in tobacco and nicotine-containing products (vapes, tobacco heating devices, etc.).
As follows from the concept, the area requirements for retail stores can be set: at least 25 square meters. m in rural settlements and at least 50 sq . m . m in cities. This condition repeats the norms for alcohol retail specified in the law on alcohol market regulation.
Sergei Borisov, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Opora Russia, said at a press conference on February 26 that such a requirement regarding the required minimum floor space is currently being discussed.
There are no space requirements right now. The law "On protecting Citizens' health from exposure to ambient tobacco smoke, the effects of tobacco consumption or consumption of nicotine-containing products" states that it is possible to sell tobacco, nicotine-containing products, hookahs, etc. in shops and pavilions. If there are no shops or pavilions in a locality, delivery trade is allowed.
Wholesalers, in order to be included in the register, must have (leased, managed or owned) a warehouse, according to the concept of the Ministry of Finance. And for hookah bars and cigar lounges, a specialized room is needed (which one is not specified).
The Ministry of Finance did not comment on Shopper's substantive proposals. "Currently, the concept of licensing activities for wholesale and retail sales of tobacco and nicotine—containing products is being worked out," said a representative of the ministry. (But there is no mention of licensing in the ministry's concept.) Rosalokoltabakcontrol only replied that "the issue of introducing a registry model in tobacco retail is currently being actively discussed."
"In the regions, about 70% of small retail outlets, including those specializing in the sale of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, have an area of at least 5 square meters. up to 8 sq. m. In large cities, the area is slightly larger, but most often up to 20 sq. m.," said Elena Dubankova, Director of Government and Public Relations at the SNC Group of Companies (one of the largest Russian distributors of tobacco and nicotine—containing products) and a member of the presidium of Opora Russia.
Due to the specifics of small and medium—sized retail, it is economically impractical for entrepreneurs to expand the area - the product is compact (it takes up little space), display is prohibited by law (shops do not need storefronts, as, for example, in the case of alcohol), and large stocks are not required, Dubankova explained. The low marginality of products makes the expansion of retail space unprofitable. The introduction of the proposed space requirement will damage the legal market — entrepreneurs will be forced to stop working, she believes. In general, tobacco and nicotine-containing products are traffic-generating products for small retail outlets, Dubankova added.
According to Dubankova, the situation is already critical: 95-98% of the vaping market is in the illegal zone, and all kinds of bans only make the situation worse.
Illegal products imported or manufactured in the country are sold bypassing all laws (in particular, non-payment of excise taxes and sale to minors), and they may also be unsafe products of unknown origin.
This entails risks for consumers and leads to large losses of the state budget, Dubankova continues. She refers to expert estimates, according to which in 2023 the budget did not receive 148 billion rubles in taxes, in 2024 — more than 300 billion rubles. Moreover, it is illegal companies that violate the law, including those that sell vapes to minors. "Legal businesses support increased control of wholesale and retail trade, but the approach must be balanced — the softest possible entry is needed in the form of a registry model, but with a tough exit for violations," says Dubankova.
Currently, there are six illegal e-cigarettes for every legal one, says Evgeny Fedotov, founder of the Fedotov Group consulting agency. The share of illegal trade in tobacco products in early 2024 was 12.6%, according to the National Scientific Competence Center for Combating Illicit Trafficking in Industrial Products.
Stricter regulation — licensing or the introduction of a register of sellers will help curb illegal activities, increase budget revenues and give buyers confidence in the legal operation of outlets, Kommersant cited the opinions of participants in the discussion of this issue in the government.
Recently, there has been a discussion about restrictions and even a ban on the sale of vapes. Last year, two bills were submitted to the State Duma to ban vaping — from deputies of different factions and from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. Both of them are included in the approximate program of legislative work of the State Duma for March 2025, according to the project cards on the website of the Legislative Support System. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said in January that the vaping ban was supported by all factions. Volodin himself conducted a survey on his Telegram channel about this: 74% of the 265,500 people who took part voted for a complete ban on vaping.
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