According to a report by The Guardian on April 24th, Raoul Glynn, CEO of West Indies Tobacco Company (WITCO), a subsidiary of British American Tobacco, expressed support for legislation in the UK aimed at preventing children under the age of 15 from smoking or using e-cigarettes.
Last week, the UK House of Commons passed a bill prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to individuals born in 2009 or later. Following the conclusion of the company's annual shareholder meeting held yesterday at Queen's Hall in Spain, Greene stated that any responses to the situation should not allow minors to come into contact with or purchase these products.
Greene supports legislation to prevent minors from accessing tobacco products and states that this practice has already been implemented in cigarette sales and will also be applied to e-cigarette products in the future. Regarding the issue of illegal tobacco sales, Greene says it has been an ongoing struggle for tobacco manufacturers.
Illegal tobacco trade has increased significantly, and we conservatively estimate that the illegal tobacco market now accounts for 20% of total sales. This estimate may even be low, as there is no scientific method to accurately measure this issue. Illegal trade continues to impact our business. The Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association (TTMA) has been sounding the alarm and ensuring that key stakeholders are aware of this problem. The crux of the issue is that due to illegal trade, the treasury is missing out on at least 20% of tax revenue.
Green calls on authorities to crack down more severely on tobacco smuggling, and stakeholders should take more measures, such as increasing border control efforts and identifying and closing loopholes.
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