26% of cigarettes consumed in Acre are smuggled

By ETCO
16/11/2016

the-tribune-onlineThe cigarette market in Acre is dominated by 26% of imported cigarettes, illegally. In 2012, this percentage was 9%. Because of the lower price compared to national products, due to the non-collection of taxes, illegal tobacco brands gain market with each passing year, according to Datafolha research.

Street vendor Rosa Maria says that the cigarettes most sold by her are those imported illegally from Bolivia. According to Rosa, customers complain a lot about prices, because the difference between imported and domestic products can exceed R $ 6,00.

o Rua de Benjamin Constant, close to the Urban Terminal, it is common to find illegal cigarette sellers in the morning. Cigarettes are smuggled from Bolivia and sold in Brazil illegally.

Every year, Brazil loses about R $ 115 billion with the trade in illegal goods, an amount sufficient to build 974 hospitals or 57 thousand daycare centers, or 22 thousand public schools.

“The survey shows that the main stimulus to smuggling is the difference between the price, the result of the financial advantage that criminals have due to the tax disparity between Brazil and Paraguay. In other words, greater inspection at the borders and revision of taxes on national products are necessary so that we have full legality in the internal market and more security ”, ponders Edson Vismona, president of the Brazilian Institute of Ethics in Competition.

In a note, the IRS says that smuggling feeds a chain of organized crime, causes tax evasion, harms national industry and job creation. And it still feeds the informal market, with low quality products that do not respect copyright. This creates unfair competition with local retailers and industries. In many situations, these products can even harm consumers' health.

Source: A Tribuna Online (Rio Branco - AC), 13/11/2016

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