Thread by @TakeBackTheTax

#TakeBackTheTax has welcomed an announcement by the South African Revenue Service @sarstax that it is embarking on a process to finally put a stop to the illicit cigarette trade.

SARS announced yesterday that it’s looking at mitigating illegal activities in the cigarette industry by improving policy, enhancing processes and using advanced technology. @sarstax

#TakeBackTheTax is very pleased to note that SARS is looking at introducing “track-and-trace” marker technology in the industry allowing the revenue authorities to monitor the journey of a cigarette.

This is an extremely significant move by @sarstax , as authorities can now track the supply chain of tobacco from the moment it’s manufactured in the plant to the point of sale in stores as it essentially means that if a packet of cigarettes doesn’t have a specific marker...

#TakeBackTheTax fully supports this move and it cannot come into effect soon enough. @sarstax

We must however caution that appointing just one supplier, that would give someone a monopoly in the industry creates an ominous opportunity for corruption and this must be avoided at all costs. @sarstax

It is high time that @sarstax took such decisive action and that it’s finally trying to put a stop to an illicit trade that is robbing our country of billions of Rands every year.

#TakeBackTheTax has been flagging this for many months now and is happy to see that @sarstax has sat up and taken notice. We also call on SARS to start looking at the people behind the illegal cigarette market.

The very manufacturers who are pushing these illegal cigarettes into the market and who are costing South Africa at least R8 billion per year.

#TakeBackTheTax now calls on all other law enforcement authorities to urgently follow suit and start taking decisive action against the illegal cigarette trade.

The time is NOW to act. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month, not next year … but NOW!

A petition calling on authorities to act against the illegal cigarette manufacturers can be signed at takebackthetax.org