The deputies decided to strengthen the tax fines targeting the trafficking of contraband cigarettes by multiplying them by two, Friday during the examination of the draft budget 2022, at first reading.
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The Assembly adopted an amendment by the deputies Laurent Saint-Martin (LREM) Éric Woerth (LR) and Zivka Park (LREM) with the agreement of the government, to double the amount of the minimum and maximum fines for the manufacture, possession, the illicit sale or transport of tobacco.
This measure targets both
"ant trafficking"
, for example the abusive importation of cartridges from Andorra by an individual, as the large
"organized gang trafficking"
, detailed Eric Woerth.
Fraudsters will in the future be liable to fines ranging from 2,000 to 500,000 euros.
The penalty will be up to ten times the amount of duties defrauded, whether the cigarettes are illegally manufactured, held, sold or transported.
Between 2.5 and 3 billion euros of loss
According to a recent parliamentary report by Eric Woerth and Zivka Park, the parallel market still accounts for 14 to 17% of total tobacco consumption.
"Customs must better communicate on sanctions,"
pleaded Eric Woerth.
Contraband causes the loss of
“between 2.5 and 3 billion euros” in the tax authorities and between “2 and 2.4 billion euros”
in Social Security, according to the parliamentary report.
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