ISLANDERS who attempt to bring in excess duty free goods are preventing Customs from working on more serious cases. The service has launched a campaign to remind people travelling to and from the island that they are restricted to a maximum cigarette allowance of 200 and failure to declare excess duty free goods could lead to prosecution.
Customs chief officer Rob Prow said the processing of flights and ferries was time-consuming.
‘We would much prefer that the travelling public heeded our campaign and this will allow us to concentrate on the more serious elements of smuggling such as drug trafficking and financial crime,’ said Mr Prow.
‘Our message to the travelling public is we would very much like everyone, as the majority do, to stick to the limit and not abuse allowances.
‘It costs the island money which we definitely need with zero-10,’ he said.
In his 2006 report, Mr Prow identified a fall of 12% in income from tobacco products, which he said could be a result of higher tax and the smoking ban.
‘Evidence shows that a higher rate on cigarettes definitely does encourage people to give up but in an island where people travel frequently, a lot of smokers will still have access to duty free cigarettes,’ he said.
Home minister Geoff Mahy agreed with Mr Prow that a drop in the number of people smoking could have led to a fall in tobacco income.
‘I also suspect people are bringing in cigarettes over their allowance, which we need to be vigilant about,’ he said.
Article posted on 17th October, 2007 - 12.00am
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