Consumption of cigarettes without a Bulgarian excise duty band in 2023 remains low, according to the latest survey of empty cigarette packs, with their share of total consumption in the country accounting for 2.6% in the fourth quarter and 2.3% in the second quarter of 2023.
The data from the regular survey were presented by the companies in the Anti-Illicit Trade Initiative on Thursday to representatives of the Bulgarian Customs Agency, the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, the General Directorate of National Police and the General Directorate of Border Police of the Interior Ministry, the Supreme Prosecution Office, the Economy and Industry Ministry and the Centre for the Study of Democracy, the Initiative said.
The tobacco companies said that law enforcement institutions in Bulgaria have achieved a sustainable result in the fight against illicit cigarette trade and called on the authorities to keep it as a priority due to its importance in limiting the gray sector and increasing budget revenues. Data for 2023 show that the share of cigarettes without a Bulgarian excise duty has been less than 3.5% of total consumption in the country for five years and is among the lowest in the EU where this survey has been conducted.
As in earlier waves of the survey, figures show that the largest share of illegal cigarettes on the Bulgarian market is accounted for by packs labelled duty-free, followed by counterfeit cigarettes imitating well-known international brands. Among the empty packs were also identified brands unknown to the Bulgarian market, which are defined as illicit whites - cigarettes produced solely for the purpose of illegal distribution.
The highest share of consumption of non-excised cigarettes among the 20 Bulgarian cities surveyed - above the average for the respective two quarters - were Yambol, Plovdiv, Burgas, Vidin, Haskovo and Dobrich, while in the second quarter zero levels were recorded in Shumen, Asenovgrad and Pernik.
Georgi Georgiev, Director of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate at the Customs Agency, commented on the data presented by the industry and reported that in 2023 the customs authorities had seized nearly 97 million pieces of illegal cigarettes, which was more than twofold higher than in 2022, stressing that the coordinated joint actions and close cooperation with the authorities of the Interior Ministry and the Prosecution Service were sustainable and maintained at an excellent level. "We are working to protect not only the Bulgarian market, but also that of the European Union," Georgiev added.
The Anti-Illicit Trade Initiative started in 2010 and is comprised of British American Tobacco Trading, Japan Tobacco International Bulgaria, Imperial Tobacco Bulgaria, and Philip Morris Bulgaria.
/RY/
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