The register of equipment for the preparation or processing of tobacco, tobacco raw materials, and industrial production of tobacco products, which the Cabinet of Ministers instructed the Tax Service to create by its resolution, may not have the expected effect in the fight against the shadow tobacco market. Oleksandr Ruvin, Director of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, explained the reasons in an exclusive interview with UNN.
Details
Ruvin reminded that a whole range of examinations is carried out to prove the fact of production of illegal cigarettes.
"The study of tobacco products generally consists of five stages. Everything follows the reverse order of the production process. The first is trace evidence of the packaging, signs of the equipment used to produce the cigarettes, the way the packs are packaged, traces of machines and equipment, features of adhesive materials, and whether all the markings and protective elements required by the current legislation are correctly applied to the cigarette pack.
Next, we examine excise stamps for compliance with the reference samples. After that, it's the turn of the cigarettes themselves - we examine the materials used to make the cigarette and its packaging: paper, filter, polyethylene, glue, etc. Finally, the biological study of tobacco products allows us to study the tobacco itself (the mixture used by manufacturers, which has a unique recipe for each manufacturer). This stage shows the quality of the tobacco, its quantity, compliance with regulations, the content of various substances, etc.
That is, the essence of our expertise is that tobacco products must fully comply with all requirements and criteria in accordance with state standards. This is determined consistently and in a complete closed cycle of research by experts," explained the Director of KFI.
He emphasized that the creation of the Register as currently proposed will lead to the fact that experts will not be able to identify tobacco production equipment.
"The resolution in question stipulates that the Unified State Register of Equipment for the Preparation or Processing of Tobacco, Tobacco Raw Materials, and Industrial Production of Tobacco Products will be created in Ukraine.
This is just one item on the general agenda, and we have some doubts that it will be as effective as possible in the way it is proposed to be conducted and summarized. Ultimately, for us, as experts, this process is important, meaning that we will not be able to identify the line and equipment where the pack was produced," Ruvin summarized.
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Earlier, Ruvin saidthat the creation of a unified library of tobacco product samples on the basis of Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise will significantly expand the range of state opportunities to de-shadow this market. He also reminded that in 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine designated the Institute as the main state expert institution responsible for conducting forensic examinations to establish the authenticity of tobacco products and identify the equipment on which they are manufactured.