SMUGGLING IS SERIOUSLY AFFECTING SOCIETY

The "Smuggling is seriously affecting society" campaign has been launched in order to draw attention to the negative effects of cigarette smuggling on society. On this occasion, the Novel Research study was presented, which estimated that black market sales made up 24.4% of the tobacco market at the end of last year.

The campaign’s message is that smuggling not only adversely affects the state’s revenue and the tobacco companies, but that it also affects public safety and quality of life by limiting expenditure on social programmes.

The campaign is in partnership with the National Customs Authority and its aim is to warn the public about the negative social effects of cigarette smuggling.

Neil Coupland (General Manager, JTI Romania) commented on the educational side of the campaign: "Smuggling is a serious issue in Romania. In a difficult economic climate, the consumption of smuggled goods makes things worse for all of us. If we aim for economic prosperity, we need to be aware that it is absolutely necessary to discourage illicit trade. Taxes must be paid so that the authorities can direct money towards infrastructure and projects which are vital for the economy and society. Legal traders can do better and pay the state more money if their sales are less affected by cheaper illegal goods. (…)”