WELLINGTON, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government has approved tougher penalties and new offenses to help tackle the illicit tobacco trade, Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said on Tuesday.
The approval of two sets of legislative changes will support Health New Zealand, the Ministry of Health, customs and police in identifying and disrupting the black-market tobacco trade, Costello said in a statement.
The proposed changes include a new infringement offense carrying a fine of 2,000 NZ dollars (1,134 U.S. dollars) for breaches of tobacco packaging regulations, as well as a strict liability packaging offense of up to 200,000 NZ dollars for manufacturers, importers and distributors.
The maximum penalty for an existing knowledge-based packaging offense would increase from 50,000 NZ dollars to 100,000 NZ dollars. The government also plans to align penalties for the sale of small quantities of tobacco with those for packaging breaches, according to the changes.
The changes to fines and offences require amendments to the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 before taking effect, the statement said.
Separately, the Customs and Excise (Border Security) Amendment Bill, introduced to Parliament last week, would increase the maximum prison term for tobacco smuggling and excise evasion from six months to seven years.
Costello said the measures would strengthen the government's cross-agency response to illicit tobacco activity. ■
