ACS has responded to the publication of HM Revenue and Customs’ report on the prevalence of non-duty paid alcohol and illicit tobacco in the UK, reiterating calls for targeted action at a local level to reduce the impact of the illicit trade on responsible retailers.

According to HM Revenue and Customs, the tobacco tax gap driven by the illicit market in cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco is estimated to be £2.5 billion in 2016-17. Of this, £1.9 billion was lost in tobacco duties and a further £0.5 billion in VAT.

ACS has called for clarity from HMRC with less than twelve months to go until the introduction of ‘track and trace’ regulations for tobacco products.

The ‘track and trace’ proposals in the EU Revised Tobacco Products Directive, due be introduced in May 2019, will put in place a new method of tracking the sale of legitimate tobacco products through the supply chain. The introduction of ‘track and trace’ will place a number of demands on retailers.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed figures released today by the Office of National Statistics which show a decline in the percentage of young people that get cigarettes from retailers.

The report published by ONS and the NHS, looks at the prevalence of smoking, drinking and drug use among young people (school pupils aged 11 to 15).

The Low Pay Commission have published their assessment of the impact of the National Living Wage on businesses over the last year, noting that smaller businesses have been more heavily affected than their larger counterparts.

The report shows that both the number of people and the number of hours worked have fallen over the last year in the smallest businesses. Regionally, overall employment has also fallen over the last year in the North East, North West, the East of England and Scotland.