ACS has responded to the government’s consultation which sets out their proposals to change the range of sanctions available to tackle the illicit tobacco trade, calling on them to focus their resources on making better use of existing sanctions.
In the submission, ACS has called for trading standards officers to have more powers to tackle the illicit trade at local level, such as revoking alcohol licences from retailers selling illicit tobacco and extending the scope of Restricted Premises Orders (currently used for underage sales offences) to capture illicit tobacco offences, creating a ‘three strike and you are out’ system.
ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We reiterate our call for tougher sanctions to be put in place for retailers who purposely break the law, and appropriate consequences for those who do so continuously.”
“One way to achieve this is by granting local authorities the power to deal with the illicit trade in their own neighbourhoods. There is too much focus on seizures at the border instead of disrupting local illicit markets.”
ACS also welcomed the government’s proposals in the consultation to increase financial penalties for repeat offenders and reduce the threshold for naming and shaming businesses or individuals that sell illicit tobacco.
