Tobacco Asia

64 tobaccoasia CLOSING NEWS 卷尾新闻 Big Tobacco Accused of Tax Evasion in Africa Tobacco multinationals have been accused of tax avoidance, evasion, and illicit financial flows in Africa to the tune of US$88.6 billion, according to a recent report titled Tobacco Industry and Illicit Financial Flows in Africa. The report profiled leading tobacco companies, their subsidiaries, domicile, and revenue trends between 2010-2021 in South Africa, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Cote Ivoire, Ghana, Egypt, and Morocco. The report was conducted and recently presented by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center in collaboration with Tax Justice Network Africa. It was focused on documenting the extent of the tobacco industry's involvement in tax avoidance and evasion in Africa. Speaking at the event, the director of custom union and taxation of the Economic Community of West African States, Tiemtore Salifou, stated that tobacco abuse was responsible for more than six million deaths per year, and had become one of the major challenges for all countries in the world. Salifou, who was represented by an official from the Commission, Lucia Ametchowu, stated that reducing tobacco consumption is the most effective way to meet this challenge, noting that the Commission is doing everything possible to reduce its consumption. He said, "Significant progress has been made in the area of reduced tobacco consumption by governments around the world including high levels of taxation. "The situation in West African Countries shows the lack of use of taxation and the lack of synergy between research, advocacy and policy making in tobacco control." Oliver Kutz Appointed Imperial's GM UK and Ireland With over 20 years' experience in the tobacco industry, Oliver Kutz brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role of general manager UK and Ireland, having previously been appointed as general manager Central and Eastern Europe at Imperial Brands in 2021. Prior to this, Kutz held the position of president and c.e.o. of ITG Brands, a subsidiary of Imperial Brands. With a PhD in marketing from the University of Hamburg, Germany, Kutz frequently lectures at the interna- tional MBA program at the University of Hamburg and has authored various books and articles on business strategy and brand management. Kutz commented, "I really look forward to moving into this new role at the company and having the opportunity to further build our strong relationships with trade partners. One of my main priorities will be to drive forward Imperial's next generation business to deliver a healthier future, while also developing our combustible business in line with the ever- evolving needs of our adult consumers." JTI Names Ferreira Global Travel Retail GM Japan Tobacco International (JTI) named Claudio Ferreira as global travel retail general manager, effective from November 1. Ferreira joined JTI in 2002, starting as a marketing director in the Americas before taking on different roles in the Camel brand group and in the Eastern Europe region, based in Geneva. Since 2018, he has led JTI's domestic operations in Brazil. He succeeds Simon Warburton, who is retiring after more than 25 years at JTI, 13 of them dedicated to travel retail. Ferreira said, "I'm very excited to join global travel retail at a time when we can build on new opportunities. I am impressed by the level of trust developed over the years between JTI and our trade partners, and my commitment is to continue supporting the mutual growth." Warburton added, "I would like to congratulate Claudio on his new role. I am confident that his wealth of experience will continue to strengthen JTI's partnerships in travel retail. "Travel retail has undoubtedly been the most exciting time of my professional career. I have always encouraged the team to look for ways to sustain mutual growth for JTI and our partners by leveraging the importance of tobacco in travel retail." Research Finds Bacteria in Hookah New University of Maryland School of Public Health research from Leena Malayil, assistant research professor, and Professor Amy Sapkota, both in the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, showed that hookah tobacco is home to a range of diverse bacteria. "We're concerned that bacteria in tobacco could end up in your respiratory system and ultimately contribute to changes in your microbiome," said Sapkota. "That could have potential health implications." Hookah tobacco often comes in fruity or candy-like flavors. For their study, Malayil, Sapkota and their team tested three distinct flavors from two popular commercial brands, Al Fakher (two apple, mint, and watermelon) and Fumari (white gummy bear, ambrosia, and mint chocolate chill). For two weeks, these products were stored under three sets of tempera- ture and humidity conditions, mimicking the conditions of a room, pocket, or refrigerator. DNA was then extracted from the tobacco and sequenced at the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. The team found that the different commercial brands and flavors each contained a different variety of diverse bacteria. The study revealed several groups of bacteria (at the genus level) that can contain human pathogens: seudomonas, bacillus, sphingomonas and methylobacterium. More refined sequencing methods are needed to determine the bacterial species, which can provide a clearer understanding of potential risks associated with bacteria in hookah tobacco. Duty Free Needs 'Robust Defense' According to Duty Free World Council (DFWC) president Sarah Branquinho, the duty-free tobacco sector is "one of the most secure and transparent supply chains in the world" and it must be robustly defended against "blanket restrictions," which would damage legitimate and law-abiding businesses. Her words look ahead to next year, when the third Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) will take place for the World Health Organization's (WHO) Illicit Trade Protocol (ITP). The protocol came into effect in September 2018 and last year saw the delayed second Meeting of the Parties (MOP2) take place,

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