Seminar for government officials on topical issues of excise taxation of tobacco products

Client: Japan Tobacco International

Objectives: to discuss the issues related to the current situation on excise taxation of tobacco products, the impact of changes in excise policy on the level of illegal trade, harmonization process of the excise policy in the Eurasian Economic Union and international experience in the field of excise taxation.

Description: the seminar took place on August 26^th, 2014 in the conference hall of the  hotel Crowne Plaza in Minsk. It was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Taxes and Duties, State Border Committee, State Customs Committee and Mr. Nurmatbek Mambetaliyev, Head of Tax Policy unit of the Financial Policy Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission(EEC). The experts from JTI provided participants with an overview of the current situation and global trends in excise taxation of tobacco products, spoke about the position of JTI on the Article 6 (Taxation) of the Framework Convention of the World Health Organization, and also presented the main conclusions of the study on the illicit trade in tobacco products in the European Union. The EEC representative briefed the participants on the process of harmonization of the excise policy in the Eurasian Economic Union.

The result: improved skills of the representatives of governmental authorities in the sphere of excise taxation, new information received on the excise policy of the Eurasian Economic Union and planned changes.