煙草在線據nzherald網站報道編譯　　官方文件顯示，除了一次查沒非法卷煙的重大案件外，煙草行業預測提稅培育了黑市的預言似乎從未實現。

　　海關總署稱在過去的三年里“沒有截獲大量的非法卷煙”。盡管行業斷言，加緊煙草控制將使非法市場增長。

　　自從毛利事務特別委員會在2010年開展調查以來，該行業一直對如提稅和平裝等政策發出這些警告，在這段時間里，關于新西蘭的煙草非法市場，英美煙草發布了一份委托報告《走出陰影》。

　　《先驅報》根據《信息法》獲得的海關2010年的總結顯示，截獲的煙草量，包括非法種植的當地煙葉，被認為有可能增加，因為從當年開始增稅，“……然而盡管消費稅提高了，但是事實并非如此”。

　　但是海關的確截獲了4.8噸未加工的煙草，市場價值估計為1公斤500美元，以及260萬美元的未付稅款。

　　隨著2010年在過去重要的種煙區摩圖伊卡查獲非法煙草后，在6月，兩名男子因非法生產煙草而被罰款。

　　海關稱，煙草和卷煙的非法貿易“通常被局限于截獲超過限額的一到兩條卷煙——到達新西蘭的旅客攜帶和通過郵件運輸的”。

　　有證據顯示個人組織的旅游團或機組成員進口免稅配額或更多的產品，然后向當地零售商銷售產品，但是這些貿易“被認為是微不足道的”。

　　通過一個普通手機號碼關聯的不同地址“有組織地”進口卷煙——但是這被認為是無關緊要的，從商船船員那里截獲的超限額的卷煙也同樣無關緊要。

　　在一份有關最新增稅提案的報告中，財政部表示，大規模煙草走私和非法的當地制造都比較低。

　　英美煙草公司發言人尼古拉斯·布斯說，非法煙草貿易是一個“非常現實的問題”，政府每年會損失了大約4000萬美元的未付稅款。

　　他說，平裝會導致非法煙草貿易增加。

　　但是吸煙與健康行動組織稱，非法貿易量很小。其主管Ben Youdan表示，該行業的指控是“公關策略——這是最糟糕的危言聳聽”。

　　評論：

　　對合法煙草產品的提稅到底能否導致非法煙草貿易的激增，這似乎很難找到確鑿的證據來證明兩者之間的關聯程度，但是煙草業一直堅稱提稅將使非法市場增長，因為提稅會使合法產品價格提高，從而促使部分煙民轉向較便宜的走私產品。其實，美國、加拿大、德國等國家的一些研究機構都曾對這個問題做過研究，在提稅之后，市場上未納稅卷煙的比例都會有所提高，因此，許多國家對煙草提稅都持謹慎態度。新西蘭的控煙情況雖然令人欣慰，但是煙草業的警告也并非危言聳聽，政策制定者不能一味的加緊控煙，而忽略了可能帶來的負作用。

New Zealand: Black Market Tobacco Claim Unfounded, Says Customs

　　The tobacco industry's predictions of a black market fostered by tax rises seem to have been unfulfilled, apart from one significant seizure, official papers indicate.

　　The Customs Service says "no significant seizures of cigarettes" were made in the past three years.

　　This is despite industry assertions that tightening the screws on tobacco control will foster an illicit market.

　　The industry has been issuing these warnings about policies such as tax increases and plain packaging since the Maori affairs select committee tobacco inquiry in 2010, at which time British American Tobacco released a report it had commissioned, "Out of the Shadows", on New Zealand's illicit tobacco market.

　　Customs says in a summary of 2010, obtained by the Herald under the Official Information Act, that an increase in tobacco seizures, including illicitly grown local leaf, was identified as a possibility because of the tax rises that began that year, "... however despite the increases in excise duty this has not been the case".

　　But Customs did seize 4.8 tonnes of unprocessed tobacco with an estimated market value of $500 a kilogram and an unpaid tax value of $2.6 million.

　　Two men were fined in June in relation to unlawfully manufacturing tobacco, following the 2010 seizure in Motueka, formerly an important growing area for the plant.

　　Customs says the illicit trade in tobacco and cigarettes "was generally confined to intercepts of one to two cartons - over concession - from passengers arriving into New Zealand and via the mail stream".

　　There was evidence of individuals organising tourist groups or aircrew to import their full duty-free quota or more, then selling the products to local retailers but the trade "is not considered significant".

　　There had been "organised" imports of cigarettes to various addresses linked through a common mobile number - but this was considered insignificant, as were over-quota amounts intercepted from crew members of commercial ships.

　　In a report on the latest tax-rise proposals, the Treasury said the risks of large-scale tobacco smuggling and illicit local manufacturing were comparatively low.

　　British American Tobacco spokesman Nicholas Booth said the illegal tobacco trade was a "very real issue" which cost the Government around $40 million a year in unpaid tax.

　　Plain packaging would cause the illegal tobacco trade to grow, he said.

　　But Action on Smoking and Health said the illicit trade was small. Its director, Ben Youdan, said the industry's claims were "PR spin - it's the worst kind of scaremongering". Enditem