英美烟草肯尼亚公司受走私冲击严重

    英美烟草肯尼亚公司受走私冲击严重

    跨国卷烟制造商英美烟草肯尼亚公司呼吁肯尼亚税务署改进征收方法，以减少非法卷烟贸易的程度。

    在肯尼亚的非法贸易达到顶峰，权威人士说，肯尼亚经济每年可能因此而损失26亿美元之后，英美烟草肯尼亚公司提出了以上观点。

    肯尼亚总统Mwai Kibaki说，政府将提高监督力度，确保政府能控制那些涉及非法贸易的人，他们威胁着肯尼亚最大的产业。

    英美烟草肯尼亚公司常务董事加里·法根（Gary Fagan）最近表示，越来越多的过境出口商品被转移到当地市场，这给英美烟草公司的业务造成了影响。

    法根先生说：“这就是我们所说的往返旅行，我们以为已经出境的商品又返回了当地。”

    就在英美烟草公司价值35万美元的用于出口的卷烟在返回肯尼亚市场的途中被扣留的一周之后，法根先生发表了这样的讲话。

    他说，这种行为导致了肯尼亚2009年总的卷烟市场缩小了5%。

    最近烟草业的一项报告显示，卷烟非法贸易占肯尼亚烟草总消费的12%。他说，减少这种不良之风的一个方法，是从边境入境处收税。

    法根先生说，这将阻止不道德的贸易商认为将发送出口卷烟的改道是容易的事。

    英美烟草肯尼亚公司作为非洲16个国家的产品网络中心——这16个国家大多被陆地所包围着，并直接从肯尼亚进口，而这使得一些贸易商转移过境商品。

    据说，这种做法每年使肯尼亚政府损失大约50亿先令。

    法根认为，肯尼亚缺乏阻止非法贸易的严厉处罚。

    由于涉及非法贸易的案件大多由地方法院处理，而地方法院判处的处罚又太宽大，这种情况甚至更加复杂了。

    Kenya: BAT Kenya Hit Hard By Smuggling

    East African Business Week

    13 March 2010

    Multinational cigarette maker British American Tobacco (BAT) Kenya is calling on the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to improve its tax collection methods to cut down on the level of illicit cigarette trade.

    The sentiments come at a time when the counterfeit trade has reached its peak in Kenya with pundits saying the Kenyan economy could be losing $2.6 billion annually as a result.

    President Mwai Kibaki said the government would increase surveillance to ensure that it reins in those involved in illicit trade that threatens leading Kenyan industries.

    BAT Kenya Managing Director Gary Fagan said last week there has been an increase in diversion of transit export goods into the local market that has affected the company's business.

    "This is what we call round tripping where goods we thought are out of the country find their way back," Mr Fagan said.

    The comments come barely a week after BAT cigarettes worth $350,000 meant for export were impounded en route back into the Kenyan market.

    He said the practice led to a five percent reduction of the total cigarette market in the country in 2009.

    A recent industry report shows that illicit trade in cigarettes accounts for 12 percent of the total consumption in Kenya. One way of cutting down on the vice, he said, is collection of taxes from the border entry points.

    Mr. Fagan said this would put off unscrupulous traders finding it easy to re-route export cigarettes.

    BAT Kenya serves as a hub for 16 African countries most of which are landlocked and import directly from Kenya, which has seen some traders diverting transit goods.

    The practice is said to cost the government an estimated Sh5 billion annually.

    Fagan was of the opinion that the country lacked stiff penalties to discourage the trade.

    The situation is complicated even further because cases involving illicit trade are mostly handled by the magistrate courts, which hand out lenient penalties.