Illicit Trade in South Africa: Has it Undermined Tobacco Control?
- Switzerland Framework Convention Alliance 2007
- 4p.
New research shows the extent of the illicit trade in cigarettes in South Africa. “A mountain or a molehill: is the illicit trade in cigarettes undermining tobacco control policy in South Africa?” by South African economist Evan Blecher, now with the American Cancer Society, shows that by 2007, illicit trade accounted for up to seven percent of the total market in South Africa. However, the evidence shows that tobacco control policy was successful and only partially undermined by illicit trade; consumption of tobacco products has continued to decline while tax revenue has risen, thanks to sharply higher excise taxes.
