Retail outlets in Waterford and Kilkenny are amongst eight across the country currently being investigated by the Revenue for selling counterfeit cigarettes.
The locally-based retailers were recently discovered to be selling the cigarettes display fake Irish tax stamps during a series of ‘test purchases’ by officers of the Revenue Commissioners.
Dermott Jewell, chief executive of the consumers’ association, has expressed concern that such cigarettes have ‘now penetrated the retail sector when it was always a predominantly black-market issue’. The other retailers being investigated are in Cork, Louth and Longford and these eight investigations exclude separate probes into other smuggled cigarettes in markets and by street sellers.
The loss to the exchequer on a standard pack of cigarettes, retailing at €8.45, is €6.71. So far the largest cache of counterfeit cigarettes found in one shop has been 1,500. Irish brands such as John Player are now being targeted, as well as other brands such as Superkings. Smugglers are believed to be using the postal service to bring in the cigarettes.
The investigations come after customs officers two weeks ago seized more than eight million cigarettes in an anti-smuggling operation at Dublin Port with an estimated value of €3.5m.
The price of a pack of 20 cigarettes is considerably higher here than in other European countries, so Ireland is one of the cigarette smugglers’ main targets.
Well if they are worried about the counterfeit cigarettes getting into this country then bring down the price of the fags !… HELLO….It’s not rocket science here.the smokes are cheaper in other countries but here it’s an arm, leg and your soul for a packet.
It’s not the loss of revenue that concerns the inland revenue, ‘it’s the health of its citizens’ that’s paramount to the tax collectors. God help us all!’
Of course the health of this country’s citizens is paramount after all who will they tax after your sick.
This goverment is not interested in our health for if they were they would remove the nut job in that office and put someone who cares about us in.
After all that’s said and done don’t we the people have the right to choose what we can and can’t eat, drink and so on as long as it does not hurt other people.
I mean let’s face it for those who want to smoke have been outcast to the street instead of haveing smoking and non-smoking places of business.
I know it’s alot to ask so no point in dwelling on that matter but every day you turn on the tv or read a paper we are being told what we can and can’t do.
Eat plenty of fruit and veg drink water next day acid in fruit and veg and water is not great either now you have to do this instead.
GIVE IT A REST…………….