By L. Kalamara
[email protected]
Greece was in unenviable second place position among EU member-states in terms of consumption of bootleg tobacco products for 2016, although the figure is lower, by one percentage point, from the previous year: 18.8 percent down from 19.8 percent.
According to results of a study commissioned by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), and relying on figures from an annual report by KPMG’s “Project SUN”.
Specifically, the study shows that stepped up law enforcement checks in 2016 reduced the volume of bootleg tobacco products – mostly cigarettes – by 12 percent. The overall figure remains high, however, when compared to the rest of Europe, with a whopping 3.62 billion bootleg cigarettes consumed in the country.
Lost tax revenues on the specific sector reaches 600 million euros.
Moreover, the report states that so-called “cheap whites” brands account for the biggest portion of bootleg cigarettes circulated on the Greek market — 44 percent of the total.
