JK News Today
The illicit cigarette trade is picking up in India. The volume of illegal cigarettes sold across the country rose 124 percent in 15 years – from 12.5 billion sticks in 2005 to 28 billion sticks in 2019, according to The Tobacco Institute of India’s (TII) report, based on data from Euromonitor.
The illegal cigarette trade — including international smuggled and domestically manufactured tax-evaded cigarettes — accounts for one-fourth of the cigarette industry in India, and is estimated to cost the government a loss of more than Rs. 15,000 crore each year, a report carried by Money Control said on Thursday .
India is said to be one of the preferred destinations for international cigarette smugglers, making it the fourth largest illegal cigarette market in the world. The lucrative Indian market for smuggled cigarettes attracts the youth in particular, as they carry international brand names and are low-priced compared to Indian brands, the report said.
