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Up in smoke

Monday, 19 April 2010

A NORTHSIDE shopkeeper has warned that the sale of illegal cigarettes is so widespread that it could force the closure of several local businesses. Benny Gilsenan, who owns Benny’s newsagents on Emmet Street, says he has personally suffered a 15 per cent drop in sales and is now calling for a crackdown on the sale of counterfeit and contraband cigarettes. Benny, who opened his shop over 40 years ago, is one of the founding members of the Retailers Against Smugglers which has a membership of over 3,500 despite being less than 12 months in operation. He claims his business is suffering greatly as a result of the increased availability of smuggled ‘smokes’. “Up until last summer, between 40 and 45 per cent of my overall turnover was generated from cigarette sales, which is fairly significant for any retailer,” he told Northside People. “But then over the space of a few weeks that figure dropped by about 15 per cent. “I started to notice that my regular customers weren’t coming in as often or at all anymore. “I know of one family of five sons who all smoke. Each of them used to come into my shop every day without fail for their cigarettes but not anymore. “I believe some of my customers are now buying their cigarettes on the streets and I can’t put my hand on my heart and say that I could blame them for wanting to save e40 or so on a carton of 200 cigarettes, but my business is very much dependent on the custom I get from smokers.” It’s estimated that a quarter of cigarettes smoked here in Ireland are illegal, a situation which led to a total loss of tobacco sales worth almost e700 million to retailers in 2009. Benny says he has seen people, some of them children as young as 12-years-of-age, selling counterfeit and contraband cigarettes on the North Circular Road. “We are licensed and controlled retailers of cigarettes, yet a blind eye seems to be turned to those who are illegally flogging cigarettes on the streets,” he stated. “Where is the law to deal with these smugglers? “We as legitimate retailers aren’t being protected and provided with the support we deserve from the Government. “Just recently it was mentioned in an Oireachtas committee that anybody is allowed to bring in whatever amount of cigarettes they like as long as they’re for personal use, so where’s the regulation in that?” He added: “We can afford to take a hit in business provided that we know that something is being done to tackle the illegal smuggling and sale of imported cigarettes.” The Retailers Against Smugglers group was established last year and within four months it became the largest retail trade group in the country. Anti-smoking group ASH Ireland also believe that authorities are not doing enough to control the problem of illegal cigarettes. “The Government recently increased the maximum fine for smuggling tobacco in the Finance Bill from e12,695 to e126,960,” a spokesperson stated. “However, much more needs to be done either by way of amendments to the Finance Bill or with further changes to our legislation. “Customs and Excise needs additional services to tackle this tobacco smuggling epidemic or the problem will expand rapidly. “Additional personnel, technology, canine support and legislative changes are needed urgently to tackle the large scale smugglers and the commuters to other jurisdictions who are taking large amounts of cheaper cigarettes into this jurisdiction all year round.” According to Revenue, cigarettes brought into Ireland from within the EU must be for personal use, must be transported personally and travellers have to have receipts to prove duty and taxes have been paid. The guidelines used by Revenue for personal use is 800 or four cartons of cigarettes. Travellers are allowed bring in 200 or just one carton of duty free cigarettes from outside the EU.