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All Advanced Materials Associations Authentication Brand Protection Case Studies Companies Consumer & Industrial Products Countries Covert & Forensic Security Document Protection Editorials Enforcement & Surveillance Events Excise Products Free Government Illicit Trade Interviews News Overt Security Regulations Reports & Studies Standards Strategies Sustainability Tax & Revenue Tax Stamps Technology & Systems Tenders Track and Trace

Nicola Sudan

24 Sept. 2024

6 min read

Illicit Cigarettes Declining in EU but Rising in Europe, Claims KPMG Study

KPMG has released its latest annual study on illicit cigarettes in Europe1, commissioned by Philip Morris Products SA. The study shows that while illicit consumption in the 27 EU member states declined by 0.6 billion sticks in 2023, to reach 35.2 billion, overall illicit consumption in the 38 markets covered by the study rose by 3%, reaching 52.2 billion sticks.

Excise Products Free Illicit Trade Free

Nicola Sudan

24 Sept. 2024

1 min read

E7 Group Injects $50 Million into Security Solution Growth

UAE-based E7 Group, a provider of commercial printing, security solutions, sustainable packaging, and logistics services, has announced a significant AED 182 million (approximately $50 million) investment in its security solutions division, E7 Security.

Companies

Nicola Sudan

24 Sept. 2024

2 min read

Excise Revenues Soar in The Gambia Thanks to Tax Stamps

Between January and August this year, Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) collected GMD 48,470,427.78 ($702,000) in excise duties, compared to just GMD 6,312,608.78 ($91,000) the previous year. This significant increase represents more than 800% of the country’s total excise revenue mobilisation.

Tax & Revenue

Aftab Baloch

24 Sept. 2024

4 min read

Pakistan Takes New Steps to Improve Tax Revenue Streams from Major Industries

Recognising the importance of track and trace systems for curbing tax evasion in key industries such as tobacco, cement, sugar, and fertiliser, the new Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, has constituted a 10-member task force to address the technical, legal, and administrative challenges hindering the progress of such systems.

Track and Trace

Nicola Sudan

24 Sept. 2024

4 min read

Illicit Cement is a Thing… So What’s Being Done About it?

The global scale of counterfeit and other illicitly traded cement is a significant issue, particularly in developing countries like Pakistan, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. This article looks at how these countries are tackling the problem.

Illicit Trade

Nicola Sudan

24 Sept. 2024

3 min read

QR Codes Are Not a Replacement for RFID Tags, Says Cannabis Track and Trace Provider

Florida-based Metrc has launched Retail ID™, a serialised QR code solution for enhancing cannabis supply chain transparency at retail level. Rather than replacing Metrc’s existing RFID tag system on cannabis plants and bulk packaging, the code is intended to complement it.

Technology & Systems

Chander S Jeena

23 Sept. 2024

2 min read

Print Versus Digital Report Offers Key Insights for Authentication

Intergraf's recent report 'Comparing Print and Digital Media’, provides an overview of studies comparing print and digital communication tools in the context of sustainability, efficiency, and consumer preference. However, some of the findings of the report are also relevant for authentication.

Reports & Studies

Chander S Jeena

22 Sept. 2024

3 min read

Koenig & Bauer Expands Authentication Offering

This article outlines K&B's evolving strategy, recent partnerships and core technologies, all contributing to what the company calls its ‘Authentication Solution Portfolio’ – a portfolio of non-invasive authentication solutions.

Free Free

16 Sept. 2024

4 min read

Vape Brands and Their Authentication Measures

According to Statista, the e-cigarette market is expected to generate $26 billion in revenue in 2024, with a projected global compound annual growth rate of 3.93% between 2024-2029. However, the vape industry, like other sectors, is having to deal with counterfeit products.

Consumer & Industrial Products

Peter Kostur

16 Sept. 2024

4 min read

The Good and Bad Role of QR Codes in the Counterfeiting World

Post-COVID, everyone, including counterfeiters, learned how to use QR codes more effectively and how powerful and persuasive the online environment can be, including for the repetitive launching of small online outlets with fakes.

Free Free

Chander S Jeena

12 Sept. 2024

4 min read

The Evolution of Asian State Security Printers – From Currency Makers to Digital Authentication Providers

State security printers in Asia are transforming as a result of a fast-changing economic and technological environment, from currency and secure document producers to digital identification and authentication providers.

Document Protection

Nicola Sudan

11 Sept. 2024

11 min read

15 Years and Counting – Part 3

To mark 15 years since the first Tax Stamp News™ was published, Tax Stamp & Traceability News™ is going back in time to the main news items covered by the newsletter between 2009 and today, looking at how they have developed over this period.

Editorials

Nicola Sudan

1 Sept. 2024

2 min read

UK to Abolish Duty Stamps on Spirits

Those round-shaped magenta discs that, since 2006, have adorned the labels of UK spirits and wine bottles, as a visual proof of duty paid, now look set to disappear, following a government announcement that the discs will be abolished once a review by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has taken place.

Excise Products

Nicola Sudan

1 Sept. 2024

1 min read

Philippine Vape Festival Packed with Illicit Products

During the Philippine Vape Festival, held in August, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) seized over 5,000 illicit vape products displayed and offered for sale at the event. The main way of identifying the vapes were illicit was their lack of tax stamps.

Illicit Trade

Nicola Sudan

1 Sept. 2024

1 min read

Tracking Legislation Advances in Philippines

The Philippines’ House Ways and Means Committee has approved legislation that will expand the country’s tobacco tax stamp system into a more comprehensive approach for tracking the entire supply chain of tobacco products, including their origin, route, and final point of sale.

Excise Products

Nicola Sudan

1 Sept. 2024

1 min read

Tax Stamps that Talk Back at You

The Korea Minting, Security Printing and ID Card Operating Corp (KOMSCO) has developed a tax stamp in collaboration with VOICEYE, a 2D high-density barcode solution specialist, with a focus on critical global markets like tobacco, alcohol, and pharmaceuticals.

Technology & Systems

Nicola Sudan

1 Sept. 2024

3 min read

The Strength of a ‘Phygital’ Approach

Combining physical and digital elements on tax stamps ensures that the strengths of both are exploited, and the weaknesses of each are covered. The International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA) is pleased to announce the launch of a social media campaign examining the topic in depth, featuring quotes from industry insiders and stories from around the world that demonstrate the strength of a ‘phygital’ approach.

Associations Free Free

Nicola Sudan

1 Sept. 2024

3 min read

Excise Taxes – Still A Meaningful Piece of the Puzzle

In a recent website article, the Peter G Peterson Foundation, a US nonprofit organisation for building a sustainable fiscal path, took a look at excise taxes in the US and how they fit into the federal budget.

Tax & Revenue

Nicola Sudan

1 Sept. 2024

2 min read

Microsoft Partners with Italian Mint to Protect Prosecco Wine

Microsoft Italy and the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS – the Italian Mint) have launched a strategic collaboration based on artificial intelligence to protect the authenticity of Italian products from counterfeiting. One of the pilot projects for this collaboration relates to the most exported Italian wine in the world, but also the most imitated: Prosecco.

Excise Products

Nicola Sudan

1 Sept. 2024

1 min read

Authentix and ARMOR-IIMAK Launch Security Ink in Form of Thermal Transfer Ribbon

Authentix has announced an exclusive partnership with ARMOR-IIMAK, a global player in the thermal transfer ribbon printing industry, to provide brand owners and their authorised contract manufacturers with a new covert security ink available in thermal transfer ribbon format.

Technology & Systems

Latest News

Illicit Cigarettes Declining in EU but Rising in Europe, Claims KPMG Study

E7 Group Injects $50 Million into Security Solution Growth

Excise Revenues Soar in The Gambia Thanks to Tax Stamps

Pakistan Takes New Steps to Improve Tax Revenue Streams from Major Industries

Illicit Cement is a Thing… So What’s Being Done About it?

QR Codes Are Not a Replacement for RFID Tags, Says Cannabis Track and Trace Provider

Print Versus Digital Report Offers Key Insights for Authentication

Koenig & Bauer Expands Authentication Offering

Vape Brands and Their Authentication Measures

The Good and Bad Role of QR Codes in the Counterfeiting World

The Evolution of Asian State Security Printers – From Currency Makers to Digital Authentication Providers

15 Years and Counting – Part 3

UK to Abolish Duty Stamps on Spirits

Philippine Vape Festival Packed with Illicit Products

Tracking Legislation Advances in Philippines

Tax Stamps that Talk Back at You

The Strength of a ‘Phygital’ Approach

Excise Taxes – Still A Meaningful Piece of the Puzzle

Microsoft Partners with Italian Mint to Protect Prosecco Wine

Authentix and ARMOR-IIMAK Launch Security Ink in Form of Thermal Transfer Ribbon

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