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Filtered by Countries — 114 articles

Chander S Jeena

31 May 2026

5 min read

From ‘Made in China’ to ‘Brands from China’

Over the past four decades, China has undergone one of the most significant industrial transformations of the modern era, evolving from the ‘factory floor of the world’ to a country focused on building global brands.

Brand Protection Countries

Nicola Sudan

31 May 2026

3 min read

South Africa Revives National Track and Trace Plans to Tackle Illicit Trade

Six years after its first serious attempt to introduce a tobacco track and trace system, South Africa is once again signalling its intention to implement track and trace, this time under the leadership of the National Consumer Commission (NCC) and as part of a broader strategy to combat illicit trade across multiple sectors.

Countries Excise Products Track and Trace

Nicola Sudan

31 May 2026

2 min read

Sri Lanka Credits Tax Stamps with 60% Rise in Alcohol Excise Revenue

The Excise Department of Sri Lanka says excise revenue from alcoholic beverages has increased by more than 60% since the introduction of tax stamps on liquor bottles in 2022.

Countries Excise Products Tax Stamps

Aftab Baloch

18 May 2026

5 min read

Cargo Tracking System: Pakistan’s Digital Offensive Against Smuggling and Tax Evasion

Pakistan is undertaking one of the most significant trade-monitoring reforms in its history with the introduction of a nationwide cargo tracking system (CTS). The initiative is designed to replace the country’s paper-based transport documentation with a fully digital platform capable of monitoring the movement of goods from origin to destination in near real time.

Countries Enforcement & Surveillance Free Free

Nicola Sudan

6 April 2026

2 min read

South Korea Unveils State-Backed K-Brand Authentication Mark

South Korea is set to introduce a government-backed K-brand certification mark aimed at tackling the global spread of counterfeit Korean goods – estimated at $9.7 billion annually – signalling a shift towards a more coordinated, state-led approach to brand protection.

Authentication Countries Free Free

Nicola Sudan

6 April 2026

3 min read

South Africa Welcomes New Tax Commissioner

From May 2026, South African Revenue Service (SARS) will be led by a new Commissioner, Dr Ngobani Johnstone Makhubu, who is currently Deputy Commissioner for Taxpayer Engagement and Operations. Dr Makhubu succeeds Edward Kieswetter, who has held the role since May 2019.

Countries Government

Nicola Sudan

25 March 2026

2 min read

Guam Launches Tobacco Stamps – Nine Years After They Came Into Law

Nearly a decade after legislation was first enacted, the US island territory of Guam has begun implementing a tax stamp programme on cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Countries Tax Stamps

Nicola Sudan

25 March 2026

4 min read

Counterfeiting in India – A Market Flooded with Fakes

The scale and persistence of counterfeiting in India’s consumer markets has once again been laid bare, with the release of the ‘State of Counterfeiting in India 2025’ report by the Authentication Solution Providers’ Association (ASPA), in collaboration with CRISIL Intelligence. Launched at TAF Connect 2026, the study provides one of the most comprehensive snapshots to date of how counterfeit goods are infiltrating supply chains, reshaping consumer behaviour, and challenging enforcement efforts across the country.

Countries Reports & Studies

Aftab Baloch

25 March 2026

3 min read

Sri Lanka’s Excise Control System Leaves Tobacco Behind

Sri Lanka’s approach to excise control tells a story of uneven progress. In the alcohol sector, a combination of secure tax stamps, digital verification tools and emerging system-wide reforms has created a robust framework for revenue protection and market oversight. In contrast, tobacco remains outside this ecosystem, with no equivalent system in place – despite Sri Lanka having ratified the WHO Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. This divergence highlights a significant gap in the country’s otherwise evolving excise control architecture.

Countries Excise Products

Francisco Mandiola

25 March 2026

2 min read

Chile new chief

In March, a week before the inauguration of José Antonio Kast’s presidential administration in Chile, Jorge Trujillo was appointed director of the country’s tax authority, Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII).

Countries

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Nicola Sudan

4 March 2026

5 min read

Production Monitoring in Pakistan – From Cigarettes to Day-Old Chicks!

Although Pakistan is still grappling with the nationwide rollout and effective enforcement of its tax stamp and production monitoring system – introduced in 2021 on tobacco products, sugar, cement and fertiliser – the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has now turned its attention to extending a similar system to other sectors at high risk of tax evasion – including tiles, tyres, iron and steel, cotton bales, beverages... and day-old chicks!

Countries Strategies Track and Trace

Nicola Sudan

2 Feb. 2026

2 min read

Spectra Systems-SICPA Consortium Wins Bid for UK Vape Stamps

Spectra Systems Corp has announced that its security printing arm, Cartor Security Printers (CSP), is the winning bidder for an HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) contract to produce and supply vaping duty stamps. The CSP bid was submitted in consortium with SICPA.

Companies Countries Tax Stamps

Chander S Jeena

2 Feb. 2026

2 min read

Nanosilikhan Partners with TPI to Elevate Tax Stamp Security in India

Nanosilikhan Advanced Materials (formerly Nanobrick), a South Korean company specialising in nanoscale technologies with sophisticated overt and covert features, has entered into an exclusive partnership with Track Pack Innovation (TPI), a provider of eco-friendly, tamper-evident alcohol stamps to several Indian states.

Advanced Materials Companies Countries

Chander S Jeena

2 Feb. 2026

2 min read

Australia’s Postal Service Uses AI Tool to Tackle Fake Stamps

Australia Post has launched a new AI counterfeit detection tool to address the problem of fraudulent postage products sold online.

Countries Technology & Systems

Nicola Sudan

2 Feb. 2026

4 min read

News in Brief

Thomas Just Sørensen, a chemist at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, has developed the O-KEY® technology – a kind of digital fingerprint for physical products.

Advanced Materials Brand Protection Companies

Chander S Jeena

2 Feb. 2026

5 min read

India, Cigarettes and Alcohol: One Country, Two Excise Philosophies

India’s recent excise tax overhaul marks a renewed tightening of tobacco excise control. Duty structures on cigarettes have been revised, compliance obligations at manufacturing sites strengthened, and enforcement powers sharpened. But nowhere in this new framework is there a requirement to apply tax stamps to individual cigarette packs. This strategy contrasts starkly with the country’s state-level alcohol control systems, which rely heavily on physical tax stamps.

Countries Events Free Free

Chander S Jeena

2 Feb. 2026

3 min read

Hong Kong Customs Reports Successful Trial of Tax Stamps

In the February 2025 issue of Tax Stamp & Authentication News™, we reported on Hong Kong Customs’ launch of a three-month pilot scheme under its new tobacco duty stamp system. The initiative introduced trial stamps on duty-paid cigarette packs to curb illicit trade and strengthen tax compliance.

Countries Tax Stamps

Chander S Jeena

2 Feb. 2026

3 min read

From Motors to Medicines: Malaysia’s Model for National Authentication

In October 2025, Malaysia fully implemented mandatory certification and labelling for engine oils as part of a national effort to combat the growing problem of counterfeit lubricants in the market. Before that, in 2005, Malaysia launched one of the world’s earliest nationwide pharmaceutical anticounterfeiting programmes, demonstrating the country’s longstanding recognition of the value of national authentication and supply chain control schemes.

Authentication Consumer & Industrial Products Countries

Nicola Sudan

2 Feb. 2026

2 min read

India Plans National ID System for Batteries

India is moving toward unit-level traceability for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways proposing a Battery Pack Aadhaar Number (BPAN) similar to the ID number assigned to Indian citizens under the Aadhaar scheme.

Consumer & Industrial Products Countries Government

Nicola Sudan

2 Feb. 2026

3 min read

Innovations Showcased at High Security Printing Asia

At the recent High Security Printing™ (HSP) Asia conference, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, over 300 delegates gathered to examine how technologies for banknotes, passports, and other secure documents are evolving to address today’s requirements for sophisticated, yet environment-friendly solutions.

Advanced Materials Countries

Latest News

From ‘Made in China’ to ‘Brands from China’

South Africa Revives National Track and Trace Plans to Tackle Illicit Trade

Sri Lanka Credits Tax Stamps with 60% Rise in Alcohol Excise Revenue

Cargo Tracking System: Pakistan’s Digital Offensive Against Smuggling and Tax Evasion

South Korea Unveils State-Backed K-Brand Authentication Mark

South Africa Welcomes New Tax Commissioner

Guam Launches Tobacco Stamps – Nine Years After They Came Into Law

Counterfeiting in India – A Market Flooded with Fakes

Sri Lanka’s Excise Control System Leaves Tobacco Behind

Chile new chief

Production Monitoring in Pakistan – From Cigarettes to Day-Old Chicks!

Spectra Systems-SICPA Consortium Wins Bid for UK Vape Stamps

Nanosilikhan Partners with TPI to Elevate Tax Stamp Security in India

Australia’s Postal Service Uses AI Tool to Tackle Fake Stamps

News in Brief

India, Cigarettes and Alcohol: One Country, Two Excise Philosophies

Hong Kong Customs Reports Successful Trial of Tax Stamps

From Motors to Medicines: Malaysia’s Model for National Authentication

India Plans National ID System for Batteries

Innovations Showcased at High Security Printing Asia

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