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Filtered by Case Studies — 19 articles

Linda Desrochers

22 Dec. 2025

4 min read

Canada’s Excise Stamp Journey – From Tobacco to Cannabis to Vapes

This article describes the journey of excise stamps in Canada, including how they have evolved and why they matter.

Case Studies Countries Excise Products

Nicola Sudan

29 Sept. 2025

9 min read

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.

Associations Case Studies Excise Products

21 July 2025

4 min read

AI Helps Tanzania Optimise Inspections and Enforcement

According to local press, the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) has successfully raised the level of compliance in the market of excisable goods subject to tax stamps, thanks, in large part, to the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Case Studies Strategies

Francisco Mandiola

29 June 2025

5 min read

It Takes Two to Tango – Argentine Tax Authority Juggles Producers and Resellers

Amid sweeping efforts by President Milei’s government to reform Argentina’s tax administration, the country’s tobacco tax stamp programme is an important step towards such reform. While the programme has helped Argentina’s tax authority reconcile production volumes with the number of products actually sold and taxes paid, there is an ongoing price disparity in the market, between manufacturers and resellers, that is ultimately resulting in less tax going to the government.

Case Studies Countries Tax & Revenue

Nicola Sudan

29 June 2025

7 min read

Expanding Tobacco and Alcohol Programmes into New Sectors

In recent years, governments have been expanding the range of goods and services they apply excise tax and regulatory controls to – not only for generating additional revenue, but also to influence consumer behaviour, address public health concerns, and support environmental and regulatory objectives.

Case Studies Track and Trace

Nicola Sudan

27 May 2025

3 min read

Managing the Raw Tobacco Supply Chain: Insights from Poland

At the recent Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum™, Dr Hana Ross from the World Bank Global Tax Program shared findings from a 2020 study examining Poland’s approach to regulating the raw tobacco supply chain. The study highlighted how targeted controls helped the country significantly reduce its illicit tobacco trade.

Case Studies Countries Excise Products

Tim Driscoll

2 April 2024

5 min read

Why Do Some Tax Stamp Programmes Fail?

While many tax stamp programmes in operation today are delivering significant benefits (including increased tax collections), other programmes are not so successful. Why is this?

Case Studies

Francisco Mandiola

18 Dec. 2023

4 min read

Elections and Civil Unrest in Latin America… and How They Affect Tax Stamps

Never a dull day in Latin America! The recent general election in Argentina saw flamboyant libertarian Javier Milei ascend to the presidency, with a promise to re-invent the Argentine economic wheel by eliminating not only the Argentina peso, but also many ministries and thousands of government employees.

Case Studies Countries

Telita Snyckers

7 March 2023

5 min read

Aligning Secure Marking and Traceability with Other Government Objectives: The WCO SAFE Framework

Secure marking and excise taxes operate hand in glove. But excise duties usually account for a small percentage of countries’ overall tax take.

Case Studies Government Standards

Nicola Sudan

28 June 2022

8 min read

Compliance and Beyond: Tax Stamps and Marks in High-Speed Production Markets

Optel Group was a welcome addition to the Tax Stamp & Traceability Forum™ this year as it brought a different emphasis to the table when it comes to tax stamp solution delivery. Dr Foued Barouni, Solutions Manager, presented a paper explaining how high-speed production conditions affect the way tax stamp compliance could be delivered.

Case Studies Strategies

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Nicola Sudan

3 April 2022

4 min read

The New Era Postage Stamps Which Perform Like Tax Stamps

According to high-security printer Royal Joh Enschedé (RJE), the humble postage stamp is undergoing a phenomenal digital transformation.

Case Studies Technology & Systems

Francisco Mandiola

8 June 2021

6 min read

The Challenges of Economic Informality During COVID-19

The growth of informal economic activity has become a challenge throughout the Latin American region. To address this, the Swiss-Chilean Chamber of Commerce recently held a webinar to discuss the challenges of informality (in employment, government, taxation), as well as the actions that policymakers, in the region and elsewhere, could take to halt an increasing trend resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Case Studies Events Free Free

Nicola Sudan

25 May 2021

9 min read

The Global Use of Tax Stamps – Asia and Australasia

In the January issue of Tax Stamp & Traceability News™, we launched a new series on the use of tax stamps and associated track and trace systems in different regions of the world, starting with Africa. This month, we shift the focus to Asia and Australasia.

Case Studies Countries Reports & Studies

Michael Eads

30 March 2021

6 min read

Costa Rica Takes Bold Step to Protect Citizens Against Illegal Alcohol

In 2019, more than 25 people died in a single case of alcohol poisoning resulting from methanol-laced alcoholic drinks. Soon thereafter, the government closed over 10 establishments and seized 55,000 containers of the killer alcohol.

Case Studies Countries Excise Products

Nicola Sudan

11 Feb. 2021

5 min read

The Global Use of Tax Stamps – Middle East

In last month’s Tax Stamp & Traceability News™, we launched a new series on the use of tax stamps and associated track and trace systems in different regions of the world, starting with Africa. This month, we shift the focus to the Middle East.

Case Studies Countries Reports & Studies

Nicola Sudan

8 Jan. 2021

11 min read

The Global Use of Tax Stamps – Africa

We kick off 2021 with a new series on the use of tax stamps and their associated track and trace systems in different regions of the world – starting with Africa. The series provides a summary of the quantitative and qualitative analysis of tax stamp usage, together with country profiles, which formed a significant part of Reconnaissance’s recently released report ‘Tax Stamps & Traceability: A Market Analysis and Technical Update’.

Case Studies Countries Reports & Studies

Chander S Jeena

10 Dec. 2020

2 min read

Illicit Trade in Southeast Asia – Cambodia

In the February issue of Tax Stamp & Traceability News™, we launched a series of articles by Chander S Jeena, on the illicit tobacco trade in Southeast Asia and how it is being dealt with. This month we continue the series with an update on the situation in Cambodia.

Case Studies Countries Illicit Trade

Chander S Jeena

30 Sept. 2020

3 min read

Illicit Trade in Southeast Asia – Malaysia’s Upgraded Tax Stamp Programme

Case Studies Countries Illicit Trade

Nicola Sudan

9 Dec. 2019

8 min read

New Tobacco Track and Trace System Bestows ‘Digital Enforcement Powers’ on Chile Revenue Authority

During the recent Tax Stamp Forum™ in Budapest, Victor Villalón, former Head of the Chilean Internal Revenue Service’s Tax Compliance General Department, described the ‘digital enforcement powers’ bestowed on the service, in the shape of a new cigarette tax stamp and traceability programme implemented in March this year.

Case Studies Excise Products Track and Trace

Latest News

Canada’s Excise Stamp Journey – From Tobacco to Cannabis to Vapes

Track and Trace Success and Failure Under Scrutiny at ITSA Webinar

AI Helps Tanzania Optimise Inspections and Enforcement

It Takes Two to Tango – Argentine Tax Authority Juggles Producers and Resellers

Expanding Tobacco and Alcohol Programmes into New Sectors

Managing the Raw Tobacco Supply Chain: Insights from Poland

Why Do Some Tax Stamp Programmes Fail?

Elections and Civil Unrest in Latin America… and How They Affect Tax Stamps

Aligning Secure Marking and Traceability with Other Government Objectives: The WCO SAFE Framework

Compliance and Beyond: Tax Stamps and Marks in High-Speed Production Markets

The New Era Postage Stamps Which Perform Like Tax Stamps

The Challenges of Economic Informality During COVID-19

The Global Use of Tax Stamps – Asia and Australasia

Costa Rica Takes Bold Step to Protect Citizens Against Illegal Alcohol

The Global Use of Tax Stamps – Middle East

The Global Use of Tax Stamps – Africa

Illicit Trade in Southeast Asia – Cambodia

Illicit Trade in Southeast Asia – Malaysia’s Upgraded Tax Stamp Programme

New Tobacco Track and Trace System Bestows ‘Digital Enforcement Powers’ on Chile Revenue Authority

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