All legal manufacturers, distributors and about 120 thousand retailers in Russia have joined the system of digital labeling of tobacco products, launched from July 1, 2020. The labeling has brought 45 billion rubles to the budget, the country's Ministry of Industry and Trade (Minpromtorg) said.

"In 2020, we have seen positive trends in the tobacco market: for the first time in 6 years, we record a decrease in the share of counterfeit tobacco industry, which decreased from 15.6% to 10.2% in 2020. The consequence of the market whitewashing was an increase in excise tax charge by 45 billion rubles to 583 billion rubles in 2020", - the Ministry Head Denis Manturov is quoted as saying.

Despite this, a number of factors contributed to the increased supply of illegal cigarettes in Russia in 2021, due to which the budget losses of Russia amounted to about 100 billion rubles a year, added the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In this regard, the agency proposes to consider the introduction of the norm of confiscation of vehicles involved in the transportation of illicit tobacco products. According to the authorities, the risk of confiscation of the vehicle will be "not only a strong argument for the rejection of illegal activities, but also an effective preventive measure.

Made in Russia // Made in Russia

Author: Karina Kamalova