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Her Majesty Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is set to begin testing a new UK-only track and trace system for tobacco this month. The new UK-only repository will replace the EU version currently being used in this country to monitor the movement of tobacco products to clamp down on illicit trading. It is being brought in to allow track and trace to continue once the UK fully exits the EU on 31 December.
The new repository has been set up and operated by De La Rue, the same company appointed to maintain the original system. HMRC wrote to wholesalers earlier this month to share information on how they can set up and a test is scheduled for 26 October. Wholesalers will not have to secure new hardware to make the switchover, but it will be their responsibility to apply the necessary software upgrades.
Wholesalers in Northern Ireland will need to submit their data to the new UK database and the existing EU system, as according to HMRC “some EU rules will continue to apply in Northern Ireland.” However, it said this could be sent to both locations via a single scan of a product.
There will be no changes for retailers selling directly to the public under the new system. The current tobacco track and trace system came into force in May 2019 under the EU Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU).
Source: The Grocer, 16 October 2020
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A House of Lords committee has said the UK Government’s Internal Market Bill could “destabilise” devolution. In a report published on Friday, 16 October, by the House of Lords Select Committee on the constitution, peers said ministers should listen to the concerns of the devolved administrations over the Bill and amend it accordingly – or scrap the relevant powers entirely.
The three devolved administrations of the UK have raised concerns over the Bill, with the Scottish Government describing the legislation as a “power grab.” The law would mean goods or services sold in one part of the UK would have to be allowed to be sold in another, effectively limiting standards across the country to the lowest of the four nations.
Members of the committee said the provisions should be removed or be subject to consultation before being used. The committee also took aim at relations between central and devolved Government, saying better joint ministerial committee processes would improve the relationship.
Source: The Herald, 16 October 2020
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More than 70 community and public health organisations are coming together and calling on Washington DC legislators to stop the sale of all flavoured tobacco products in the District.
Flavor Hook Kids DC is a campaign aimed at stopping the sale of tobacco products targeted for children. The campaign also focuses on the need to stop the sale of flavoured tobacco to minority communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that smoking increases a person’s risk of severe illness if they contract the novel coronavirus, and minorities have already been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
Carla Williams, associate professor of Medicine and Public Health at Howard University, said most tobacco users would start in their teens. “They hook kids into trying products, and because nicotine is an addictive substance, they pretty quickly get dependent on nicotine and have the risk of becoming lifelong users,” she added.
She continued by saying: The City Council needs to “include the community in this process to ensure the products are kept out of the hands of young people, and to ensure we don’t hook another generation of children on these products.”
Source: WTOP.COM 18 October 2020
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PQ1: Smoking – Treasury
Asked by Owen Thompson Scottish National Party, Midlothian
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the tobacco duty escalator on reducing the prevalence of smoking.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
No specific assessment has been made. According to the latest ONS data 14% of adults in the UK are smokers, the lowest on record. To ensure that this downward trend continues the Government is committed to maintaining the tobacco duty escalator until the end of the Parliament.
Source: Hansard, 16 October 2020
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-10-07/100479
PQ2: Tobacco: Excise Duties - Treasury
Asked by Owen Thompson Scottish National Party, Midlothian
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to increase the level of the tobacco duty escalator on hand-rolling tobacco.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
All taxes are kept under review and decisions on tobacco duty rates are made by the Chancellor as part of the annual Budget process.
Source: Hansard, 16 October 2020
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-10-07/100480
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