Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 December 2012
1. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Finance if he has investigated the use of a smartphone app to be used by gardaí to scan barcodes on cigarettes to determine if tax has been paid and identify illegal cigarettes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54752/12]
View answerI am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the process of embossing secure tax stamps on cigarette packaging is the method currently used to assist in the detection of illicit cigarettes. Tax stamps are examined using a range of hand held devices that are available to all Revenue enforcement staff. The Revenue Commissioners advise that in 2009 the technical specification for tax stamps was significantly upgraded to make it more difficult for the stamps to be counterfeited. The stamp was further enhanced in 2011. The Revenue Commissioners further advise that this latest version has proven to be extremely robust in that regard.
Furthermore, the Revenue Commissioners are constantly exploring ways to improve their methods of detecting illicit cigarettes. One of the key elements of any security feature on cigarette packaging is that it must be extremely difficult to copy. The Commissioners advise that it is not fully clear to them that bar coding would satisfy that particular requirement. However, as part of Revenue’s ongoing research and analysis into the latest developments in security features that appear on packaging, Revenue will examine any additional potential opportunities that bar coding and the use of phone apps for that purpose may present. It is my understanding that where the Gardai suspect that tax has not been paid on cigarettes that they come across, they contact the appropriate Revenue enforcement staff who examine the product to determine its tax status.
