Editorial | Keep up the fight to stamp out illegal cigarettes in Hong Kong
- A crackdown on illegal tobacco products in the lead up to the tobacco duty increase shows that there is not only a thriving black market but also a strong demand for cigarettes. This is why the government should go further
It might appear that the much-anticipated tobacco duty increase had fuelled nothing more than the usual debate over its effectiveness in further reducing Hong Kong’s already relatively low smoking rate.
But what lay behind was an expected surge in cross-border cigarette smuggling and black market sales in the run up to an announcement on the increase by the financial secretary in his budget last month.
The Customs and Excise Department, to its credit, did not sit back during the apparent calm before the storm. In a two-phase crackdown code-named “Tempest”, officers detained 538 people and seized HK$62 million worth of illegal tobacco products in 10 days in the run up to the 80 cents-a-stick duty increase that immediately came into effect on February 28.
The operation continued afterwards, with another haul worth more than HK$208 million and the arrest of 776 more people, most of whom were found to be in possession of tobacco products over the duty-free allowance at entry points.
Also brought to book were dozens of buyers and sellers involved in street peddling of contraband tobacco products across various districts.
The tobacco industry has claimed that tax hikes would only make smuggling more rampant. The latest seizure may well again become the counterargument against increases, which have been recognised internationally as the most effective means to reduce smoking.
