煙草在線據印度亞洲新聞社報道編譯　　為工業游說組織印度工商業聯合會（Assocham）開展的一項研究說，印度的走私卷煙市場大約價值200億盧比，它已經成為第六大走私卷煙市場，給印度政府的稅收造成了巨額損失，并給大約500萬煙農的生計造成了影響。這項研究還說，卷煙還可能成為恐怖活動資金的來源。

　　最近由在80個國家擁有分支機構的著名研究機構歐睿國際公司開展的一項調查說：“這些卷煙逃避繳納消費稅、增值稅、關稅，或任何其他應適用的稅種，因而價格很便宜，很有吸引力。”

　　合法卷煙業在2006-07年期間的銷量大約有1090億支，在2010-11年期間則下降到大約1010億支。與之形成對照的是，非法的逃稅煙草則增長到了大約200億支——占煙草業的大約16%，在2004年至2011年期間增長了82%，使得印度成為世界上第六大非法卷煙市場。

　　歐睿國際公司估計，印度的非法卷煙量將進一步增長，到2016年，將占整個煙草業的23%以上。

　　歐睿國際說，“印度的絕大多數走私卷煙為加長型卷煙，其零售價格在每包20支裝80盧比。”因此，這部分煙草逃避繳納的稅額也是最高的。

　　根據歐睿國際所開展的研究說，“印度走私卷煙的市場規模大約每年為200億盧比，它正威脅著500萬煙農的生計。走私卷煙的問題在城市市場尤其嚴重，但它也是印度全國存在的問題。”

　　由于走私卷煙不使用印度產煙草，“這種情況惡化了印度煙農面臨的不利局面，給他們的生計帶來了威脅。”

　　這項研究說：“非法走私卷煙所占的份額不斷增長，是造成市場對國內合法煙草業所使用的優質印度產煙葉的需求遭到重大侵蝕的原因。世界衛生組織和國際媒體的公文明確顯示，面臨著國內市場銷售下滑的國際跨國卷煙公司，正試圖擴大在發展中國家的業務。”

　　重要的是，走私卷煙沒有印制《卷煙和其他煙草產品法案》所規定的圖片健康警語，“因為危及到政府的煙草控制政策。”

　　這項研究說：“由于走私卷煙的煙盒上沒有印制MRP，走私者和貿易代理商取得了客觀的利潤。在像孟買、德里、普納、班加羅爾和海德拉巴這樣的城市，走私卷煙的貿易甚至是無恥地公開進行：幾乎在每個卷煙銷售點都可以找到各種走私卷煙品牌，消費者可以輕松找到自己選擇的卷煙的走私貨。”

　　走私卷煙從中國、緬甸、孟加拉國、印度尼西亞、巴基斯坦、海灣、南亞各國，甚至歐洲走私進入印度。

　　這項研究說：“在全球來看，也有文件和報告證實卷煙走私與犯罪和反社會力量之間的關系。在印度也一樣，也存在著關于除了別的方面以外，走私卷煙貿易是有組織犯罪和促進恐怖活動的裝備的可能資金來源的猜想。”

　　研究說：“顯然，必須以更嚴格、更持久和更有組織的方式開展遏制走私卷煙進入印度的行動。”

India 6th Largest Market for Contraband Cigarettes

　　At an estimated Rs.2,000 crore, India has become the sixth largest market for contraband cigarettes, casing huge revenue losses to the government and affecting the livelihoods of some five million tobacco farmers, says a study conducted for industry lobby Assocham. It could be a source of terror funding too, adds the study.

　　"These cigarettes evade the payment of excise, VAT, customs or any other applicable tax and are thus cheaply and attractively priced," says a recent study conducted by reputed research organisation Euromonitor that has a presence in 80 countries.

　　The legitimate cigarette industry, which was at 109 billion sticks in 2006-07, dropped to about 101 billion in 2010-11. In contrast, the illegal, duty-evaded segment has grown to about 20 billion cigarettes - about 16 percent of the industry, having grown by 82 percent between 2004 and 2011, making India the sixth largest illicit cigarettes market in the world.

　　Euromonitor estimates that illicit cigarette volumes in India will further grow and contribute more than 23 percent of the total industry size by 2016.

　　It says that "the vast majority of smuggled cigarettes in India are king size cigarettes, which retail at Rs.80 per pack of 20 cigarettes". The duty evasion therefore, is the highest in this segment.

　　According to the study, "the size of the contraband cigarettes market in India is about Rs.2,000 crore per annum and is threating the livelihoods of five million tobacco farmers. The problem of contraband cigarettes is especially severe in urban markets, but it is also endemic to India as a whole".

　　Since the contraband cigarettes do not use Indian tobaccos, "this aggravates the adverse situation faced by Indian tobacco farmers and threatens their livelihood".

　　"The growing share of illegal, contraband cigarettes has been responsible for significant erosion in demand for good quality Indian tobaccos, used by the domestic legal industry. It has been well documented by the WHO as well as the international media that international cigarette MNCs, faced with declining sales in their home markets, are seeking to expand their business in developing countries," the study says.

　　Significantly, the smuggled cigarettes do not carry the Graphical Health Warnings mandated by the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) "thus endangering the tobacco control policy of the government".

　　"In the absence of printed MRP on the pack of contraband cigarettes, smugglers and agents of the trade make a handsome margin. In cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, trade in contraband cigarettes is conducted with brazen openness: a variety of smuggled brands are found at almost every cigarette selling outlets and consumers can find their smuggled brand of choice with ease," the study says.

　　Contraband cigarettes are smuggled into India from China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Gulf, Southeast Asian countries and even Europe.

　　"Globally there are documents and reports that confirm the nexus between contraband in cigarettes and criminal, anti-social elements. In India, too, there have been speculations about the contraband cigarettes trade being - among other things - a possible source of funds for organized crime and outfits promoting terror.

　　"Clearly, the drive to curb the entry of contraband cigarettes into India needs to be undertaken in a more stringent, sustained and organized manner," the study says. Enditem