Tobacco, Kpmg and Philip Morris: in the EU illicit grows for the first time since 2011

In Europe, the crime grows for the first time since 2011 (+0.8 billion cigarettes compared to 2019) due to counterfeit products, causing a loss of tax revenue of approximately 8.5 billion euros. This is what emerges from the report on the consumption of illicit cigarettes, produced by the consultancy firm Kpmg with the contribution of Philip Morris International, which highlights the impact and economic costs associated with the phenomenon of illicit cigarette trafficking, in Italy and in the European Union. with reference to the year 2020. If France and Greece are among the European countries in which the phenomenon of illicit is particularly relevant (respectively 23% and 22% of total consumption), the incidence in Italy is 3, 4%, well below the EU average of 7.8% of total consumption, and is better than that of other large European countries, such as Spain and Germany. Unlike Germany, moreover, in Italy the trend confirms a decrease, reflecting the effective contrast and deterrence action carried out by the police and the Customs and Monopoly Agency. “It is essential to protect consumers from counterfeit products. . For this, it is necessary to continue to reward the synergistic approach between public and private actors to tackle and eradicate illicit trade in Europe and beyond “, said Alvise Giustiniani, Vice President of Illicit Trade Prevention for Philip Morris International. , renewing the company’s commitment against illicit tobacco trafficking. “The elimination of illicit trade is particularly important in the context of the transformation of our company towards a smoke-free future. Among the initiatives to counter this phenomenon, we recently opened the third round of Pmi Impact, a Philip Morris International initiative aimed at financing projects cts and innovative solutions to threats deriving from illicit trade. The positive data for Italy require thanks to the police and the institutions for their effort and commitment to protect consumers, public revenues and the market “, he added. At the national level, the lack of revenue caused from the illicit tobacco trade amounts to around 400 million euros, with a recovery of 68 million euros compared to 2019, thanks to the commitment of the institutions to combat this phenomenon. The areas traditionally most affected are confirmed to be, also for the 2020, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Campania. Compared to the national average of 3.4%, in fact, the share of illicit consumption of the total in the two regions stands at 22% and 12% respectively. For further information on Philip’s commitment Morris International to prevent and combat illicit trade, you can visit StopIllegal.com and pmi-impact.com.