Ngurah Rai customs officers are currently hunting a suspect who allegedly plays a central role in the distribution of tens of thousands of cigarette packets with counterfeited excise tax stickers in Bali. The suspect, identified only as DL, is believed to be in Malang, East Java.
So far investigating officers have arrested four other suspects in the case.
One of the responsibilities of the Customs and Excise Office is the collection of taxes from cigarette companies. It does this by exclusively printing and issuing excise stickers that cigarette companies must purchase for each individual pack produced.
The investigation began after custom officers noticed the widespread circulation of cigarettes without excise tax stickers in September. The packets, found in a Papuan traditional market in Tabanan regency, had forged stickers.
"Our undercover officers managed to set up a transaction with the suppliers. They led us to another suspect in Negara, Jembrana regency. He later brought us to some small-scale cigarette packing facilities in Malang and Jember," investigating officer Hanny Fisher Palilingan said on Monday.
Hanny said the man from Negara was only a second layer player in the business. The mastermind is believed to be somewhere around Malang.
Throughout the investigation the officers confiscated 39,153 packs of cigarettes with fake excise tax stickers, 32,207 packs with no sticker at all and 1,610 packs with incorrect stickers. They also seized 30 rolls of forged stickers from a cigarette factory in Jember.
Jusuf Indarto, director of control and investigations at the Jakarta customs and excise office, said forgeries and sales of illegal cigarettes would increase if the government did not immediately ban the sale of old cigarette machines.
"The old machines are sold to individuals who illegally produce cigarettes. These people rake huge profits because cigarettes are in high demand, since many people smoke everywhere," he said, adding that the production is usually done in Java with the illegal cigarettes later distributed elsewhere.
According to the 2004 national socioeconomic survey, about 138.82 million Indonesians are smokers, or 63.1 percent of a total population of 220 million people at the time.
Jusuf said the government's income from the tobacco excise tax has reached Rp 47 trillion (US$4.7 billion), an increase of 12.1 percent on last year. The increase was achieved after customs and excise officers tightened their investigations on illegal cigarettes.
In October the customs and excise officers also confiscated 4000 liters of bootlegged alcohol and 3,500 liters of liqueurs and vodka hoarded in Denpasar without any legal excise documents.
Bambang Wahyudi, head of Ngurah Rai's customs and excise supervision and service office said his officers had questioned the owners of a leading local company, who were allegedly responsible for hoarding the alcohol.
"We have sealed the company temporarily and fined it Rp 660 million. I hope local liqueur producers do not run from their responsibility to pay the excise because their products are more marketable now, with the difficulties in importing liqueur," he said.
The office also confiscated some 700 smuggled mobile phones found in an unclaimed suitcase at the airport's foreign arrival terminal in July.
"According to the baggage documents, the luggage belongs to Raj Sudhahar of India, who flew from Hong Kong, China," Nurkiswar Eddy, head of prevention and investigation said, adding that the perpetrator had yet to be found.
May 29, 2009
May 26, 2009
Buy Discount Cigarettes
The recent heavy taxes imposed on tobacco products have caused the prices of premium cigarette brands to skyrocket. Brands such as Kent, Marlboro, Capri, Dunhill, Chesterfield and Camel are now too costly for the middleclass smoker to afford. That is why websites sporting \'buy discount cigarettes\' advertisements prove too attractive for the middleclass man to avoid. Compared to prices as high as $40 per carton in states such as New York and California, these websites offer cigarettes at heavily discounted prices. Go to any websites featuring the \'buy discount cigarettes\' ad line, and you can find premium cigarette brands as low as $15 for a carton.
The suppliers are able to sell cigarettes online because online sales usually do not attract taxes. Many states such as California do not permit online purchase of cigarettes, and people living in these states may find it difficult to buy them. Retailers offering discounted cigarettes mostly operate from states that have a low tax structure. Many online retailers are based at reserved Indian lands. The strict federal tax laws do not apply here. Some reports tell that sales from these Indian lands amount to millions of dollars each year.
Many people hesitate to buy cigarettes online for fear of leakage of personal information. Customers usually fear that by tracking their personal information, the federal or state agencies may apply taxes on them. Websites therefore contain a note assuring the customer of the complete security of personal information. Most shopping websites warns you that the online purchase is meant for personal use only, not for retail.
The suppliers are able to sell cigarettes online because online sales usually do not attract taxes. Many states such as California do not permit online purchase of cigarettes, and people living in these states may find it difficult to buy them. Retailers offering discounted cigarettes mostly operate from states that have a low tax structure. Many online retailers are based at reserved Indian lands. The strict federal tax laws do not apply here. Some reports tell that sales from these Indian lands amount to millions of dollars each year.
Many people hesitate to buy cigarettes online for fear of leakage of personal information. Customers usually fear that by tracking their personal information, the federal or state agencies may apply taxes on them. Websites therefore contain a note assuring the customer of the complete security of personal information. Most shopping websites warns you that the online purchase is meant for personal use only, not for retail.
May 14, 2009
Tobacco industry deceived public with ‘low tar’ cigarettes
The tobacco industry has deliberately deceived the public with “low tar/light” cigarettes, reveals an analysis in a special supplement to Tobacco Control. Industry documents show that companies recognised that low tar products were as dangerous as regular cigarettes, yet marketed them as healthy alternatives.
The authors analysed trade sources and internal US tobacco company documents. These show that the industry feared mounting evidence linking tobacco with lung cancer would discourage smokers from their habit, and devised ‘low tar/light’ products in a bid to reassure them. Vast sums of money were spent on promotion - US$44 million in the case of Philip Morris for one brand in 1976 alone.
The authors chart the various tactics deployed by the industry. These included branding cigarettes as “hi-fi” or high filtration, the implication being their ability to reduce, if not totally eliminate, the health risks associated with smoking. The filtering ploy was variously described in industry documents as “an effective advertising gimmick,” “merely cosmetic,” and offering “the image of health reassurance.” Low tar smokers were described as wanting “nothing less than to be conned with information.”
Some versions, including menthol or loosening filter cigarettes, actually delivered more tar and nicotine than unfiltered cigarettes. Other techniques included adding a “virtuous [filtered] product” to an existing line, which was heavily promoted but rarely available for sale, duping consumers into confusing the two products, say the authors.
“Virtuous brand names and descriptors”, such as Merit, Life, True and ‘Mild’, ‘Ultra’, ‘Light’ and ‘Superlight’ were also used to convey a healthy image. British American Tobacco wrote of its marketing policy: “All work in this area should be directed towards providing consumer reassurance about cigarettes and the smoking habit…by claimed low deliveries, by the perception of low deliveries, and by the perception of mildness.”
The industry used machine derived tar yield figures which do not reflect the actual levels of smoke toxicity likely to be accrued during the act of smoking. “Such products could be advertised as ‘tar-free,’ ‘zero milligrams tar’ or the ‘ultimate low tar cigarette’ while actually delivering 20, 30, 40 mg or more tar when used by a human smoker. They will be extremely easy to design and produce,” said a document from Brown and Williamson, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco.
The authors analysed trade sources and internal US tobacco company documents. These show that the industry feared mounting evidence linking tobacco with lung cancer would discourage smokers from their habit, and devised ‘low tar/light’ products in a bid to reassure them. Vast sums of money were spent on promotion - US$44 million in the case of Philip Morris for one brand in 1976 alone.
The authors chart the various tactics deployed by the industry. These included branding cigarettes as “hi-fi” or high filtration, the implication being their ability to reduce, if not totally eliminate, the health risks associated with smoking. The filtering ploy was variously described in industry documents as “an effective advertising gimmick,” “merely cosmetic,” and offering “the image of health reassurance.” Low tar smokers were described as wanting “nothing less than to be conned with information.”
Some versions, including menthol or loosening filter cigarettes, actually delivered more tar and nicotine than unfiltered cigarettes. Other techniques included adding a “virtuous [filtered] product” to an existing line, which was heavily promoted but rarely available for sale, duping consumers into confusing the two products, say the authors.
“Virtuous brand names and descriptors”, such as Merit, Life, True and ‘Mild’, ‘Ultra’, ‘Light’ and ‘Superlight’ were also used to convey a healthy image. British American Tobacco wrote of its marketing policy: “All work in this area should be directed towards providing consumer reassurance about cigarettes and the smoking habit…by claimed low deliveries, by the perception of low deliveries, and by the perception of mildness.”
The industry used machine derived tar yield figures which do not reflect the actual levels of smoke toxicity likely to be accrued during the act of smoking. “Such products could be advertised as ‘tar-free,’ ‘zero milligrams tar’ or the ‘ultimate low tar cigarette’ while actually delivering 20, 30, 40 mg or more tar when used by a human smoker. They will be extremely easy to design and produce,” said a document from Brown and Williamson, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco.
May 11, 2009
Smoking
Smoking is a practice where a substance, most commonly tobacco (see tobacco smoking), is burned and the smoke tasted or inhaled. This is primarily done as a form of recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them available for absorption through the lungs. It can also be done as a part of rituals, to induce trances and spiritual enlightenment. The most common method of smoking today is through cigarettes, primarily industrially manufactured but also hand-rolled from loose tobacco and rolling paper. Other smoking tools includes pipes, cigars, hookahs and bongs.
Smoking is one of the most common forms of recreational drug use. Tobacco smoking is today by far the most popular form of smoking and is practiced by over one billion people in the majority of all human societies. Less common drugs for smoking include cannabis and opium. Most drugs that are smoked are considered to be addictive. Some of the substances are classified as hard narcotics, like heroin and crack cocaine, but the use of these is very limited as they are often not commercially available.
The history of smoking can be dated to as early as 5000 BC, and has been recorded in many different cultures across the world. Early smoking evolved in association with religious ceremonies; as offerings to deities, in cleansing rituals or to allow shamans and priests to alter their minds for purposes of divination or spiritual enlightenment. After the European exploration and conquest of the Americas, the practice of smoking tobacco quickly spread to the rest of the world. In regions like India and Subsaharan Africa, it merged with existing practices of smoking (mostly of cannabis). In Europe, it introduced a new type of social activity and a form of drug intake which previously had been unknown.
Perception surrounding smoking has varied over time and from one place to another; holy and sinful, sophisticated and vulgar, a panacea and deadly health hazard. Only recently, and primarily in industrialized Western countries, has smoking come to be viewed in a decidedly negative light. Today medical studies have proven that smoking is among the leading causes of many diseases such as lung cancer, heart attacks and can also lead to birth defects. The well-proven health hazards of smoking have caused many countries to institute high taxes on tobacco products and anti-smoking campaigns are launched every year in an attempt to curb smoking.
Smoking is one of the most common forms of recreational drug use. Tobacco smoking is today by far the most popular form of smoking and is practiced by over one billion people in the majority of all human societies. Less common drugs for smoking include cannabis and opium. Most drugs that are smoked are considered to be addictive. Some of the substances are classified as hard narcotics, like heroin and crack cocaine, but the use of these is very limited as they are often not commercially available.
The history of smoking can be dated to as early as 5000 BC, and has been recorded in many different cultures across the world. Early smoking evolved in association with religious ceremonies; as offerings to deities, in cleansing rituals or to allow shamans and priests to alter their minds for purposes of divination or spiritual enlightenment. After the European exploration and conquest of the Americas, the practice of smoking tobacco quickly spread to the rest of the world. In regions like India and Subsaharan Africa, it merged with existing practices of smoking (mostly of cannabis). In Europe, it introduced a new type of social activity and a form of drug intake which previously had been unknown.
Perception surrounding smoking has varied over time and from one place to another; holy and sinful, sophisticated and vulgar, a panacea and deadly health hazard. Only recently, and primarily in industrialized Western countries, has smoking come to be viewed in a decidedly negative light. Today medical studies have proven that smoking is among the leading causes of many diseases such as lung cancer, heart attacks and can also lead to birth defects. The well-proven health hazards of smoking have caused many countries to institute high taxes on tobacco products and anti-smoking campaigns are launched every year in an attempt to curb smoking.
May 8, 2009
Camel cigarettes
Camel cigarettes are without a doubt one of the most renowned tobacco brands in the market. is very popular and you can hardly find a person who won't recognize this symbol.
Camel leads back to 1913. With the growing popularity of cigarette producer of tobacco pipes - a tobacco company RJR decided to produce exactly this type of tobacco product. The original mark did not belong to the company, Richard Reynolds - it was little known and was named Red Camel. With the transition to a new owner changed the name to Camel.
The symbol of the brand has become famous Joe Camel. Advertising agency NWAyer, which has been supporting the new cigarettes, shocked consumers with their extraordinary Slogans. A few days before the release of stamps on sale in the daily newspapers have an image of camels. Writing succinctly explained: ?Camels?. Over time, the slogan increasingly intrigues readers: ?Camels go! ? And ?Tomorrow in the city of camels will be higher than in Asia and Africa combined!?. Only a day selling advertising has finally been attained full clarity: ?cigarettes Camel are already here!?.
Camel perhaps the only brand that has retained its design virtually unchanged since the emergence of the market. Up to 95 years, Joe Camel has been recognized equally to smokers and nonsmokers. Camel Cigarettes endured stiff competition from Marlboro, large-scale promotion project Camel Trophy, rebranding in 2000-2001.
Currently, Camel cigarettes,packaging design changed - it became more modern and reliable. The main elements - Joe Camel, pyramids, the inscription ?Camel? - remained unchanged, but became clearer. The entire composition is now enclosed in a circle. Preserved and remind the unique taste of cigarettes: ?Turkish & domestic blend?, but add information, emphasizing long-standing history of the brand.
Camel leads back to 1913. With the growing popularity of cigarette producer of tobacco pipes - a tobacco company RJR decided to produce exactly this type of tobacco product. The original mark did not belong to the company, Richard Reynolds - it was little known and was named Red Camel. With the transition to a new owner changed the name to Camel.
The symbol of the brand has become famous Joe Camel. Advertising agency NWAyer, which has been supporting the new cigarettes, shocked consumers with their extraordinary Slogans. A few days before the release of stamps on sale in the daily newspapers have an image of camels. Writing succinctly explained: ?Camels?. Over time, the slogan increasingly intrigues readers: ?Camels go! ? And ?Tomorrow in the city of camels will be higher than in Asia and Africa combined!?. Only a day selling advertising has finally been attained full clarity: ?cigarettes Camel are already here!?.
Camel perhaps the only brand that has retained its design virtually unchanged since the emergence of the market. Up to 95 years, Joe Camel has been recognized equally to smokers and nonsmokers. Camel Cigarettes endured stiff competition from Marlboro, large-scale promotion project Camel Trophy, rebranding in 2000-2001.
Currently, Camel cigarettes,packaging design changed - it became more modern and reliable. The main elements - Joe Camel, pyramids, the inscription ?Camel? - remained unchanged, but became clearer. The entire composition is now enclosed in a circle. Preserved and remind the unique taste of cigarettes: ?Turkish & domestic blend?, but add information, emphasizing long-standing history of the brand.
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