Track and Trace Success and Failure Under Scrutiny at ITSA Webinar

At the International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) webinar held on 24 September – with 24 revenue/customs authorities in attendance – guest speaker Dr Hana Ross from the University of Cape Town and Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies examined the prerequisites for achieving track and trace success on excisable products, referring to real-world cases of successful and failed systems.

Dr Ross started off the discussion by defining track and trace as a system that controls the supply chain of a particular product by using modern technology. She said it is important to bear in mind that this is a system that controls the legal supply chain, even though its purpose is to reduce illicit trade. However, in controlling the legal supply chain, track and trace allows for better visibility of illicit products infiltrating the market.

Dr Hana Ross.

Track and trace also reduces the cost of enforcement and increases compliance. High compliance, in turn, reduces consumption of potentially harmful products like tobacco, alcohol, and sugar- sweetened beverages, because if the taxes are paid on these products, their prices will increase, and consumption will go down.