With losses from illicit trade reaching nearly $2 billion annually, the local tobacco industry is calling for the creation of a composite strike force to ensure the imprisonment of offenders and deter the continued rise in illicit activity. On the sidelines of a Financial Times event which focused...
Industry groups are urging the government to rationalize the excise tax system, warning that the current structure is fueling the illicit trade of cigarettes and alternative products, jeopardizing government finances and public health. They said the existing tax framework is misaligned with market...
With illegal tobacco incidence reaching an all-time high of 18.2 percent in 2024, Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) has urged the Marcos administration to recalibrate tax rates to help reverse the declining state of the tobacco industry. The latest industry data showed that illicit cigarettes...