Tobacco.org

• Cigarette smuggling costs exchequer €100m 

A big increase in cigarette smuggling from eastern Europe and former Soviet republics will cost the exchequer more than €100 million in lost taxes this year.

New figures obtained by The Sunday Business Post show that seizures of smuggled tobacco product have risen by more than 40 per cent since last year. More than 74 million cigarettes are expected to be seized by the end of the year, compared to 52.3 million last year.

A spokesman for the Revenue Commissioners said that cigarette smuggling was a ‘‘major contributory factor’’ to the anticipated loss to the exchequer.

Jump to full article »