煙草在線據《馬尼拉公報》報道編譯　　據悉，受到競爭對手Mighty煙草公司銷量增長沖擊的卷煙巨頭菲莫福川煙草公司（PMFTC），正以萬寶路的低價變形產品充斥棉蘭老島，以恢復其在這類產品的市場份額。

　　國內稅務局（BIR）的內部人士稱，在該局永久擱置菲莫福川煙草公司關于制造和銷售四個低價萬寶路變形產品以恢復罪惡稅法實施后產生的巨大銷售損失的請愿書之后，該公司采用了最新的營銷策略。

　　國內稅務局拒絕了這一要求，因為現有法規禁止萬寶路和其他高檔品牌降級。

　　菲莫福川煙草公司作出這一請求，希望利用較低的消費稅率來削減特定的萬寶路品牌零售價格，這將最終迫使Mighty公司（MC）和其它低價卷煙制造商退出市場。

　　國內稅務局專員金·S.哈辛托-埃納雷斯（Kim S. Jacinto-Henares）說，她不會反對菲莫福川煙草公司的營銷策略，只要這家公司支付正確的稅款。

　　根據該罪惡稅法律，由Mighty公司生產的低價品牌按較低的稅率納稅，每包20支裝卷煙為17比索，而每包20支裝的萬寶路和其它高檔品牌的稅率為27比索。

　　不愿透露姓名的消費稅官員說，稅收安排迫使許多低收入煙民回避菲莫福川煙草公司的優質品牌，而轉向低價品牌。

　　事實上，菲莫福川煙草公司承認，去年向競爭對手尤其是Mighty公司流失了一些市場份額，并且銷售減少超過了40%。

　　為了扭轉局面，菲莫福川煙草公司在棉蘭老島推出了低價萬寶路香味代碼卷煙。

　　消費稅官員說，盡管有高稅率，但菲莫福川公司能夠以低價零售這個品牌，因為據說其生產這一品牌的大部分原材料來自于本地市場，而不是從其位于美國的母公司進口的。

　　稅務官員指出，Mighty公司的繁榮，不是因為菲莫福川公司聲稱的不當經營行為，而是由于罪惡稅法律，該法創造了公平競爭的環境，并引發了消費者從菲莫福川生產的昂貴的高檔品牌，向Mighty制造的低端品牌的轉變。

　　預見到了這一變化，并且由于其出色的營銷策略，Mighty公司的市場份額飆升，從其2013年支付的82億比索消費稅可見一斑，而其上年同期支付的總消費稅為5億比索。

Philippines: PMFTC Floods Mindanao with Low-priced Marlboro Variant

　　Cigarette giant Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC), still hurting from the sales surge of rival Mighty cigarettes, is flooding Mindanao with low-priced variant of Marlboro to regain its market share in this category, it was learned yesterday.

　　Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) insiders said the latest marketing strategy was employed after the bureau permanently shelved the petition of PMFTC to manufacture and sell at low prices four variants of Marlboro to recover huge sales losses incurred when the sin tax law was imposed.

　　BIR rejected the request because existing regulations prohibits the downgrading of Marlboro and other premium brands.

　　PMFTC made the request to avail of the lower excise tax rates to cut retail prices of selected Marlboro brands which will ultimately push out of the market Mighty Corporations (MC) and other manufacturers of low-priced cigarettes.

　　BIR Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares said she will not object to PMFTC's marketing strategy so long as the firm pay correct taxes.

　　Under the sin tax law, low priced brands produced by MC are taxed at the lower rate of P17 per pack of 20 sticks and P27 for Marlboro and other premium brands also pack in 20s.

　　Excise tax officials who declined to be named said the tax schedule compelled many low-income smokers to shift to low-priced brands shying away from the premium brands of PMFTC.

　　As a result, PMFTC admitted of losing some grounds reducing its sales by more than 40 percent last year to rivals particularly to MC.

　　To reverse the situation, PMFTC introduced its low-priced Marlboro Flavor Code cigarette in Mindanao.

　　Excise tax officials said PMFTC was able to retail this brand at low cost despite the high tax rate because it allegedly sourced most of the raw materials in the manufacture of this brand in the local market instead of importing them from its parent company in the US.

　　Revenue officials noted that MC operations prospered not because of trade malpractices as alleged by PMFTC but because of the sin tax law which leveled the playing field and triggered a consumer shift from expensive premium brands produced by PMFTC to the lower brands such as those manufactured by MC.

　　Anticipating the shift and because of its excellent marketing strategy, MC's market share shot up as evidenced by its excise tax payments of P8.2 billion in 2013 as compared to its P500-million total remittances the previous year. Enditem