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The following is now available on the CRA Web site:

News Release

Ottawa, Ontario, September 4, 2008… The Honourable Gordon O’Connor, Minister of National Revenue, today unveiled a new state-of-the-art tool to target the market of contraband and counterfeit tobacco in Canada.

“Our Government takes the issues of tobacco contraband and counterfeit very seriously,” said Minister O’Connor. “While the new tobacco stamp will not single-handedly resolve all those issues, it is a key element in the government’s overall strategy to combat this illicit activity. We are all working together as a government to deliver on our commitment to keep our communities safe and secure.”

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The following is now available on the CRA Web site:

News Release:

Ottawa, Ontario, August 29, 2008… The Honourable Gordon O’Connor, Minister of National Revenue today announced a $20 million investment over the next four years to combat contraband tobacco and its damaging effects on the health of Canadians.

“Today the Government of Canada is announcing an investment of $20 million to combat contraband tobacco and to reduce the amount of tobacco that Canadians consume,” said Minister O’Connor. “Contraband tobacco negatively affects all Canadians and our Government is determined to fight the problem.”

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The following is now available on the CRA Web site:

News Release

Lévis, Québec, July 31, 2008… The Honourable Gordon O’Connor, Minister of National Revenue today announced that the federal and all provincial governments have entered into civil settlement agreements with Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd. and Rothmans, Benson & Hedges to resolve all potential civil claims they may have in relation to the two companies’ role in the movement of contraband tobacco in the early 1990s.

In addition to the civil settlement, the two companies each pleaded guilty in court to a single count of “aiding persons to sell or be in possession of tobacco products manufactured in Canada that were not packaged and were not stamped in conformity with the Excise Act and its amendments and the ministerial regulations” between 1989 and 1994. The fines in these prosecutions, combined with the civil settlements, will result in the companies paying $1.15 billion to governments.

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November 2007

On October 30, 2007, the Government of Canada announced in its Economic Statement that it proposes to amend the Excise Act, 2001, by imposing a tax on certain excise duty-paid tobacco products held in inventory at the beginning of the day on January 1, 2008.

This notice provides additional information on this proposed amendment. Any commentary in this notice should not be taken as a statement by the Canada Revenue Agency that these amendments will be enacted in their current form.

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