A bill filed in the Philippine Congress seeks to impose stiffer penalties on illegal cigarette importation and smuggling by amending provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code and the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. House Bill 6965, or the proposed Anti-Illicit Cigarette Import Trade and Smuggling Act, would criminalize the importation, manufacture, sale, transport, storage, or possession of cigarettes without full payment of excise taxes or required tax stamps, with possession of unstamped cigarettes serving as prima facie evidence of a violation. The measure also proposes enhanced penalties for organized and large-scale smuggling operations, with its author, 1Tahanan party-list Rep. Nathaniel Oducado, citing the impact of illicit trade on government revenues, legitimate businesses, and public health.
