Taiwan to impose retailer registration

In an effort to help curb the sale of illicit cigarettes, Taiwan’s government is planning to introduce a registration system for cigarette vendors around the country, according to a story in the Taipei Times.

At the moment, cigarettes can be purchased at convenience stores and roadside stalls nationwide. Anybody can set up a table anywhere and sell them.

“There is hardly any other country in which it is easier to get cigarettes than in Taiwan,” said National Treasury Administration Director-General Joanne Ling.

However, all that is expected to change now that the Ministry of Finance—following an agreement with local governments—is drafting regulations that will make registration a requirement for cigarette vendors.

The proposed regulations would prohibit unregistered stalls—set up primarily to sell betel nuts to passing motorists—from also selling cigarettes.

Once the measures take effect, only shops with a business registration certificate and approval to sell cigarettes will be allowed to engage in the business.