Cigarette plain packaging views ‘misrepresented’
The minister did not say, as Ms McCormack claims, that the Revenue believe plain packaging would not impact on their work against the illicit trade. He said that the Revenue’s view is that it is unlikely to significantly affect this work.
This does not mean that plain packaging will not impact the huge volume of illicit cigarettes flooding the Irish market, and the minister has also stated that the Revenue will raise any other matter that might impact on their ability to deal with the illicit tobacco market during the preparation of legislation.
While Revenue does its best against the illicit trade it is fighting a losing battle when one considers that between a quarter and a third of cigarettes smoked here are illicit.
Ms McCormack states that plain packaging would be less attractive to children, but there is little or no evidence to support this view. A recently published article in NHS Choices in the UK looked at the recently published Australian research and pointed out that it did not examine whether plain packaging had any impact on young people’s decisions to smoke.
* As has been recently reported in the Irish media, a number of major US business organisations representing a wide range of companies operating in Ireland, have expressed concerns to the Government about the wider impact of plain packaging legislation on Ireland’s corporate reputation where intellectual property and brands are respected. Irrespective of one’s views on the tobacco industry, these are voices that should be listened to.
NFRN Ireland supports the Irish Heart Foundation and other organisations working to reduce smoking in Ireland. However, this should be done through policies that effectively cut down on the illicit trade and are based on evidence not emotion.
Joe Sweeney
President
NFRN Ireland
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