TAIWAN
Customs officials at the Port of Tai-chung seized approximately 18.6 metric tons of smuggled tobacco in early June. The smuggled materials could have been used to produce more than 1.46 million packs of cigarettes, which, if sold domestically, would have evaded more than NT$46 million (US$1.5 million) in cigarette tax and a health surcharge of at least NT$29 million.
Taiwan’s cigarette tax is currently NT$30.8 per pack. Plus, each pack of cigarettes is also subjected to a health surcharge of NT$20.
The smuggled tobacco was discovered when two cargo containers registered as carrying tobacco leaf waste imported from Vietnam were opened for spot checks at the port. Removing the outer layers of bags containing tobacco leaf waste, inspectors found fine-cut tobacco that was not on the list of imported materials. The tobacco leaf waste was imported by a Taichung-based company to produce organic fertilizer.
Taichung Customs officials also determined that the tobacco was in the form of so-called “formula cut cigarettes,” which can easily be used to produce cigarettes.