How is Moskal going to fight smuggling of excisable goods?

Transcaroathian authorities ask tobacco producers to help in figting smuggling of excise goods. Transcarpathia will become a launching pad for Ukraine in the fight against illegal trade in excise goods – the RSA promises.

Representatives of the largest tobacco manufacturers, which produce 99 percent of cigarettes in Ukraine, visited Uzhgorod.

         Hennadiy Moskal met with representatives of Ukrainian association "Ukrtyutyun" that includes the largest manufacturers of tobacco products in Ukraine. Specialists of the "JT International Ukraine" PJSC, "Philip Morris Ukraine" PJSC, "Tobacco Company "VAT – Pryluky"and "Imperial Tobacco Ukraine" came to Uzhgorod. In total, members of the association produce 99 percent of cigarettes in Ukraine, last year they paid the budget 22 billion hryvnia of taxes and fees.
The main topic of the meeting was the fight against illegal trade in cigarettes.       
– Over the past month, we have managed to stop the large-scale smuggling of cigarettes covered by the authorities and security forces in Transcarpathia – H.Moskal said at the meeting. – Now, only attempted smuggling of small batches of cigarettes (several boxes) is observed on the green border, there is no smuggling in large quantities. This is confirmed by security officials of the neighbouring countries.However, we still have a lot of work to do, and we hope that manufacturers of cigarettes will help us as they are interested in protecting their business. One of the ways of such help could be the purchase and installation of scanners at checkpoints or passes at the entrance to Transcarpathia. Such equipment is expensive, but it may remain in the ownership of companies, and operated jointly with the security forces. 

Following the meeting, it was decided that the RSA will help the association "Ukrtyutyun" with legislative support in combat illegal trade in cigarettes (ie, the preparation and promotion through people’s deputies of bills on the widespread use of digital technologies for the labeling of tobacco products to help trace the place of production and movement of goods, stricter control on the destruction of confiscated products, etc.). And the cigarette manufacturers for their part will consider the purchase and installation of special scanners in Transcarpathia to combat smuggling.

           The participants of the meeting agreed to establish at the RSA a coordinating council to combat illegal trade in cigarettes with the involvement of other border regions. And to prepare the national strategy to combat the illegal trade of all excise goods. Transcarpathia in this regard will become a launching pad for Ukraine.