The Share of Smuggled Byelorussian Cigarettes Increases in Estonia

Source from:  The Baltic Course (uk)  01/17/2014

According to the regular"empty pack study", 20.7% of packages of tobacco products found inEstonia have foreign tax labels and health warnings on them. The majority ofthe cigarettes that lack Estonian tax labels originate from Byelorussia and Russia.

The share of illegal goods hasdecreased evenly though in all problematic towns and the pan-Estonian illegalmarket has decreased by 3.3 percentage points as compared to an identical study in the first half of last year.

Illegal cigarettes are consumed most in Kohtla-Järve (48% of empty packs), Narva (43.5%), Sillamäe (41%), Maardu (40%), Valga (39%) and Jõhvi (38%).

The study took place in September and October last year in 14 Estonian towns and cities. Enditem