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Cigarette sticks to bear "SDPC" marking from next year
Singapore Customs reaches another milestone in its quest to stamp out contraband cigarettes with the implementation of the “SDPC” regulation. From 1 January 2009, every stick of cigarette imported into or manufactured in Singapore for local sale will have to be marked with the letters "SDPC". Anyone found buying, selling or smoking cigarettes without the "SDPC" marking will be committing an offence.
This new measure is part of a concerted effort to curb the selling and buying of illegal cigarettes. The imprint of "SDPC", which stands for Singapore Duty-Paid Cigarette, on every stick of duty-paid cigarette sold in Singapore is a measure to visibly differentiate duty-paid cigarettes from contraband cigarettes.
The current requirement stipulated by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for all cigarette packets sold in Singapore to bear the graphic health warning labels remains unchanged.
Mr Fong Yong Kian, Director-General of Customs, explained, “The availability of cheap duty-unpaid cigarettes will hamper our national effort to discourage smoking. Singapore Customs is committed to keeping illegal cigarettes off the streets. The “SDPC” marking on every cigarette stick will serve as deterrence against the peddling and buying of contraband cigarettes and help our officers in enforcement efforts.”
Come 1 January next year when the new marking requirement comes into effect, members of the public are advised against buying or smoking unmarked cigarettes. All unmarked cigarettes will be deemed to be duty-unpaid and illegal. Under the Customs and GST Acts, smoking and possession of duty-unpaid cigarettes is an offence. For every packet of duty-unpaid cigarettes found in their possession, offenders can be fined $500. The public is advised to think twice before lighting up duty-unpaid cigarettes as they face severe penalties.
Arriving travellers and returning Singaporeans who intend to bring in cigarettes from overseas for their personal consumption are advised to retain their receipts issued by Singapore Customs at the checkpoints as proof of payment of duty and GST when checked by enforcement officers. There has been no duty-free concession or GST relief on cigarettes and other tobacco products in Singapore since 1991. Anyone who brings in these items is required to declare them for payment of duty and GST.
The Tobacco Association of Singapore gave its full support to this latest cigarette marking initiative. Said the Chairman of the Association, Mr Saliya Weerasooriya, “We believe that the stick markings will make it more difficult for the syndicates to supply illicit cigarettes for the Singapore market whilst making it easier for enforcement officers to detect smokers consuming these cigarettes. In the past couple of years, Singapore Customs has stepped up its efforts substantially to rein in this problem and had met with certain success as evidenced by its various seizures and arrests. This latest initiative to implement markings on cigarette sticks will serve to complement the existing measures.”
| For more information on the SDPC marking regulation, please click here. |
While innovative methods are important to ensure enforcement efforts remain effective, Singapore Customs also recognises that public education must accompany enforcement for it to remain sustainable. Said Mr Fong, "In our fight to keep contraband cigarettes off the streets, we fully recognise the need to reach out to the public. We will be stepping up our community engagement and publicity efforts. A series of community road shows to engage the heartlanders, youths and foreign workers have been planned. We want the public to stay away from contraband cigarettes, and better still, to smoke less or stop altogether.”
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Singapore Customs. All Rights Reserved. |
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