Every cigarette to bear "SDPC" marking from Jan 1 next
year
SINGAPORE : From 1 January 2009, all duty-paid cigarettes
sold in Singapore will be marked with the letters "SDPC" to
distinguish them from contraband cigarettes.
The letters "SDPC" stand for Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarette, and it
is proof that the cigarette is legal.
This new requirement is part of Singapore Customs' effort to curb
the selling and buying of illegal cigarettes.
According to Singapore Customs, Singapore is the first country to
implement this regulation.
From January next year, all unmarked cigarettes would be deemed
duty-unpaid and illegal.
Anyone found buying, selling or smoking cigarettes without the
"SDPC" marking could be jailed or fined. For every packet of
duty-unpaid cigarettes, the offender can be fined S$500.
Licensed retailers will start selling marked cigarettes from
October. The Tobacco Association (Singapore) said the current stock
of unmarked duty-paid cigarettes will not be recalled.
Fong Yong Kian, director-general, Singapore Customs, said: "We will
be working together with the cigarette industry to phase out all
the old cigarette stocks by January 1 next year. When our officers
encounter cigarettes without the SDPC marking from January 1 next
year, we will investigate it to check the origin of the
cigarette.
"Our assessment is that it is unlikely that the SDPC markings will
be counterfeited. This assessment is also shared by the industry.
But nonetheless, we will be monitoring the situation very
closely."
According to Singapore Customs, cigarette manufacturers were
informed of this new marking requirement in April this year.
Those who buy their cigarettes from overseas for their own
consumption should keep their receipts as proof of payment of duty
and GST.
According to the Tobacco Association (Singapore), contraband
cigarettes constitute 18 per cent of market share in
Singapore.
It expects the new regulation to increase demand for duty-paid
cigarettes, which would help offset the cost of marking every
cigarette. - CNA/ms
