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Tag: Hong Kong

  • Sources: Big Changes for Hong Kong Tobacco Laws in 2026  

    Sources: Big Changes for Hong Kong Tobacco Laws in 2026  

    Last year, Hong Kong’s Special Administrative Region government proposed 10 tobacco control measures that prompted backlash from businesses and smokers alike. Now, sources say the Health Bureau plans to submit an amendment bill to the Legislative Council by the end of this month based on those measures, which would include items such as increased penalties for illegal tobacco sales, a ban on flavored cigarettes, and expanded smoke-free areas.

    The sources said the regulations would be implemented in 2026, typically in two phases.

    E-cigarettes would be banned in public spaces starting as early as the second quarter of next year, with potential extensions to private areas and other devices depending on favorable outcomes. The ban on flavored cigarettes would begin with non-menthol flavors first, and then menthol later, with no specific timeline set.

    The new proposal would also focus on combating illegal tobacco, with a trial starting mid-year to add identification labels on duty-paid cigarettes. Authorities would also increase penalties for smuggling; the maximum fine for buying, selling, or possessing illegal cigarettes will rise from HK$1 million ($130,000) and two years in prison to HK$2 million ($260,000) and seven years in prison. Travelers bringing more than 19 packs of duty-free cigarettes to Hong Kong would see fines increased from HK$5,000 ($650) to over HK$8,000 ($1,040).

  • Hong Kong Officials Seize $3.8M in Illicit Products

    Hong Kong Officials Seize $3.8M in Illicit Products

    Today (March 7), Hong Kong customs officers seized more than 6 million illicit cigarettes and heated tobacco products worth more than HK$29 million ($3.8 million) in two separate operations.

    In one operation, two men were arrested with 6 million cigarettes that are relatively unpopular in the area, stored in a truck and warehouse.

    “It is believed that the products would later be exported to other countries,” said Chan Sing-lung, a senior investigator of Customs’ Revenue Crimes Investigation Bureau. “But we do not rule out the possibility that some might get into the local illicit cigarette market for sale.”

    Earlier in the morning, a mainland man was arrested with 90,000 illegal cigarettes and 110,000 illicit heated tobacco products. Another 140,000 duty-not-paid cigarettes from Japan and alternative smoking products were found in his hotel room, together with a large number of empty bags for Japanese duty-free goods.

    Officials said the contraband was part of a larger smuggling operation from Japan.

    “Our investigation shows the group took advantage of air passengers to bring illicit tobacco products into the city, store them in hotel rooms and then distribute them to customers,” said Wong Wing-yuen, a senior investigator of the Customs and Excise Department.

    In the past half month, 13 men and eight women were arrested, mostly mainland tourists traveling from Japan. They were involved in 20 cases of 600,000 untaxed cigarettes and 240,000 alternative tobacco products, with a total market value of HK$4 million ($520,000).

  • Hong Kong Sees Surge in Visitors Carrying Illicit Cigarettes

    Hong Kong Sees Surge in Visitors Carrying Illicit Cigarettes

    Cigarette smuggling occurrences in Hong Kong surged 80% last year, accounting for 68% of the total number of cases handled by Hong Kong Customs, officials said. At a news conference today, the Customs and Excise Department said more than 21,000 of the 31,000 total cases they handled in 2024 involved illicit cigarettes.

    Chan Tsz-tat, who became the city’s Commissioner of Customs and Excise in December, attributed the surge in cigarette smuggling cases to a 94% increase of inbound travelers found with cigarettes that exceeded the 19-stick duty-free limit. Chan said the underlying reason for the increase is that Hong Kong increased the tobacco duty from HK$1.9 (24 US cents) to HK$3.3 per cigarette over the past two years.

    Customs seized about 600 million sticks of illicit cigarettes, which is actually a decrease of 6% compared with the previous year as smuggling syndicates are lowering the number of cigarettes being smuggled at one time and diversifying smuggling channels to minimize losses. Customs officials made 40 large-scale cigarette confiscations, during which it seized 328 million cigarettes. 

  • Hong Kong: Bill Would Strengthen Tobacco Control, Hurt Pubs

    Hong Kong: Bill Would Strengthen Tobacco Control, Hurt Pubs

    Hong Kong Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said an amendment bill to strengthen tobacco control will be submitted to the Legislative Council in April that would impact virtually every product, all on different timelines. He said a potential ban on flavored non-menthol-flavored cigarettes could begin as early as next year, with menthol-favored-cigarettes then following, but with no specific timeline given.

    “Menthol cigarettes have a longer history, which is why we hope the policy can be implemented gradually,” Lo said, pointing out that 40% of smokers use flavored cigarettes and of those more than 50% use menthol. “We want to start with non-menthol as a pilot.

    “We’ve seen significant opposition [about the flavor ban], especially from tobacco companies, which shows that this hits their core interests.”

    The bill would extend the flavor ban to water pipes and also include increased penalties for illegal tobacco, updated rules cigarette labeling rules, and new rules for travelers with tobacco. Lo also said that e-cigarettes, which have been banned from import and sale since 2022 but can still be owned, may be facing a complete ban by mid-2026.

    The Long Term Tobacco Policy Concern Group polled 514 customers at popular nightlife districts in Hong Kong recently and found that 80% of bar-goers would have less desire to frequent pubs if a flavor ban was put in place, and that 70% would consider patronizing establishments on the mainland instead. Pub operators predicted a 30% loss of patrons if the government proposal was approved.

    “This is pulling out the last straw in such a terrible situation,” said Ben Leung Lap-yan, charter president of the Licensed Bar and Club Association of Hong Kong, which represents more than half of the city’s 1,300 licensed venues. “Should so many measures be put forward in the current poor economic environment in such a tough and aggressive way?”

  • Hong Kong Proposes Public Vape Ban

    Hong Kong Proposes Public Vape Ban

    Hong Kong authorities have proposed a citywide ban on the use and possession of e-cigarette cartridges and flavored tobacco products in public places, according to the South China Morning Post. The public ban would be the first of two phases, with the second phase expanding to non-public spaces.

    The proposal comes after a heated public debate where the government touted 10 measures aimed at reducing the city’s 7.8% smoking rate.

    Several business leaders cautioned that bans would discourage visitors and businesspeople from coming to the city.

  • Hong Kong Mulls New Anti-Smoking Measures

    Hong Kong Mulls New Anti-Smoking Measures

    Photo: ChenPG

    Hong Kong announced several new anti-tobacco policies on June 6, reports The Standard.

    Among other measures, the city plans to introduce a new duty-paid labeling system, ban “smoke-and-queue” behavior in public, and prohibit all flavored cigarettes and alternative products including vapes and heated cigarettes.

    The rules are meant to help the government lower smoking prevalence to 7.8 percent by 2025 and ultimately achieve a “Tobacco-free Hong Kong” after the completion of a public consultation exercise launched last year.

    Other measures include raising the maximum penalty for evading tobacco duty to a HKD2 million ($256,082) fine and seven years’ imprisonment; a ban on providing cigarettes to underage teens and children; and continuous reviews on the adjustment of tobacco duty.

    The government will also maximize the area reserved for health warnings on cigarette packaging to 100 percent; expand non-smoking areas and increase fines for violations.

    Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said the government strives to table the new policies to the Legislative Council before the end of this year and expects they will be passed within this legislative year.

    More than 90 percent of respondents to the public consultation agreed with further lowering the smoking prevalence.

    There are more than 570,000 daily smokers in Hong Kong and the latest prevalence stands at 9.1 percent, according to Director of Health Ronald Lam Man-kin.

  • Hong Kong Crackdown Nets $72 Million in Illegal Smokes

    Hong Kong Crackdown Nets $72 Million in Illegal Smokes

    Credit: Timothy S. Donahue

    Hong Kong customs officers seized untaxed cigarettes worth HK563 million ($72.1 million) during a nearly three-month illegal trade crackdown, coinciding with a tobacco tax increase in February.

    Assistant Commissioner Barry Lai Chi-wing said officers clamped down on the post-pandemic trend of smuggling the contraband into the city in small portions from February 19 to May 14 in an operation code-named “Tempest.”

    Part of the operation also took place after Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced in this year’s budget that the tobacco tax would be raised by 80 HK cents per stick with immediate effect, according to media reports.

    The increase raised the average cost of a pack of 20 cigarettes by HK$16 to more than HK$90. A pack costs HK$19 to HK$38 on the black market.

    During the operation, 4,347 people, aged 15 to 89, were arrested. Officers confiscated 139 million sticks of suspected illicit cigarettes, 105kg of cigars, and around 1,525kg of manufactured tobacco products, which had a market value of HK625 million. The tax take would have been about HK454 million.

  • Hong Kong Mulls Duty-Paid Labels

    Hong Kong Mulls Duty-Paid Labels

    Image: muh

    Hong Kong officials are considering putting designated labels on tobacco products so they can be easily identified as duty-paid, according to acting Health Minister Libby Lee, reports rthk.hk.

    Lawmakers expressed concern regarding efforts to combat illicit cigarettes following an increase in tobacco tax for the second year in a row. Lee noted that officials are looking into the feasibility of placing customs labels on duty-paid products and that progress will be reported in a few months.

    Lawmakers Johnny Ng and Peter Shiu stated that the 12 people prosecuted since 2021 for promoting tobacco products was too low a number, noting that it is common to see flyers promoting illicit tobacco products being handed out at public housing estates.

    Lee’s responded that it is difficult to enforce because officers cannot prosecute someone for holding flyers. She noted, however, that tobacco control officers remove around 50 websites monthly that sell illicit products, but they sometimes run into enforcement problems as well.

    “When it comes to overseas websites, we also have difficulty closing these websites or taking enforcement actions,” said Lee. “However, we’ll set up enforcement efforts … and publicity.”

  • Hong Kong Seizes $26.6 Million in Illegal Cigs

    Hong Kong Seizes $26.6 Million in Illegal Cigs

    Credit: Timothy Donahue

    Customs officers in Hong Kong seized illegal cigarettes worth more than HK$208 million ($26.6 million) in the first 15 days after a tobacco tax increase came into force as part of last month’s budget.

    Superintendent Jeff Lau Leung-chi of the Customs Revenue Crimes Investigation Bureau said on Monday that if the tobacco had been legally imported, the contraband products would have generated about HK$147 million in tax.

    Lau attributed the increase in cigarette seizures to enhanced enforcement action at all levels to combat the trade in illegal tobacco products and the operation’s longer duration in the second phase, according to media reports.

    “We also believe that crime syndicates anticipated the possibility of an increase in tobacco tax, so they stockpiled a larger quantity of illicit cigarettes ahead of time to supply the market after the tax hike,” he said.

    The untaxed cigarettes were discovered over the second phase of a citywide operation code-named “Tempest”, which involved the arrest of 776 people between February 29 and March 14.

    During the first round of the operation, which took place between February 19 and 28, Customs detained 538 people and seized HK$62 million worth of illegal tobacco products in 10 days.

  • Hong Kong: Increase in Quit-Smoking Requests

    Hong Kong: Increase in Quit-Smoking Requests

    Image: chrisdorney

    Hong Kong has seen an increase in calls to its smoking cessation hotline following the tobacco tax increase to 70 percent. Legislative Council member Rebecca Chan Hoi-yan has asked the government to enhance assistance to people who wish to quit smoking, according to The Standard.   

    Cigarettes in Hong Kong now cost at least HKD94 ($12.01).

    Following the announcement of the tax hike, the weekly average number of people calling the quit-smoking hotline increased by four times.

    Chan has expressed concern that the government may not follow up on the cases and determine how many people are successful in quitting smoking or how many people eventually resume smoking. According to Chan, there is a need for continuous efforts to understand the reasons behind successful quitting and the challenges of those who resume smoking.

    She also called for comprehensive tobacco control policies by “focusing on target groups, such as teenagers, and implementing measures to track families in order to prevent teenagers from smoking.”

    “The government should focus on better education and promotional efforts instead of solely relying on increasing tobacco duty,” said Peter Shiu Ka-fai of the wholesale and retail sector. He argued that it is important to inform smokers of the harmful effects of cigarettes and respect their choices.