Newsmaker
Revenue goes up in smoke as illicit trade thrives
Batsa says lack of political will is crippling legitimate tobacco companies and costing Sars billions
22 January 2023 - 08:12
Johnny Moloto, general manager of British American Tobacco South Africa (Batsa), says the government doesn’t appear to have the political will to clamp down on illicit cigarettes, which have flooded the market, costing the fiscus R20bn a year and forcing his company to retrench more than 30% of its workforce.
“Closing the illicit market is all about political will,” he says. “The solutions are there.”..
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