Binh Duong provincial Market Management Authority to boost propaganda against fakes and smuggled goods

Binh Duong provincial Market Management Authority has just coordinated with the British - American Tobacco Marketing Group (BAT) from Singapore to deploy the propaganda on "preventing and combating smuggled and fake tobacco" using mobile vehicles in the province. The form of propaganda information is vivid, impressive, anytime, anywhere, and has a direct impact on the people.

Small changes, high efficiency

Every morning, the sound of propaganda loudspeakers on mobile vehicles about the fight against counterfeit and smuggled tobacco has become familiar among households, residential areas, and markets across the province. Dang Thi Tan Duyen of Quarter 5 in Phu Hoa ward in Thu Dau Mot city, said that every day the radio resounds along Le Hong Phong Street of Phu Hoa ward, to help people learn more about legal regulations and violations related to tobacco. According to her, mobile propaganda is carried out every morning and afternoon when people often travel a lot on the road, so mobile propaganda will be more effective.

Tran Thi Ha of Quarter 4 in Hiep An ward in Thu Dau Mot city, shared that at first she could not imagine the violation related to transporting and storing fake or smuggled tobacco because of her poor eyesight to read the posters. By paying attention to propaganda information from mobile vehicles about handling methods and punishment frameworks, she understood the goal of fighting fake and smuggled tobacco. Thereon, she realized that it was necessary to mobilize her family and relatives not to smoke, not to consume fake or smuggled cigarettes, and to denounce the violations.

According to many, propaganda by mobile vehicles with vivid, concise illustrations helps people grasp the official source of information anytime, anywhere and in the most timely manner, even while they are working or participating in traffic so that they would have awareness and correct behavior regarding the sale, transportation, storage, fake and smuggled tobacco in the current situation.

A vehicle with banners and installed speakers is moving around the streets of Thu Dau Mot city to disseminate information about prevention of smuggled and fake tobacco

The prevention of budget leak

The recent fight against cigarette smuggling and the business of smuggled cigarettes in the province has achieved positive results. In addition to the Law on Prevention and Control of Harmful Effects of Tobacco, there are various sub-law documents regulating the content of smuggled tobacco, including sanctions for handling administrative violations and criminal penalties, which have been clearly stipulated to demonstrate the strictness of the law.

However, talking to us, Nguyen Phuong Dong, Deputy Director of the provincial Market Management Authority, said that tobacco smuggling is very attractive due to high profits. Currently, criminal tactics related to such smuggling are not new but very sophisticated. Smuggled tobacco is often scattered, torn apart, discreetly disguised, mixed between goods or hired to transport by many different means to deal with the authorities.

What is of concern is that tobacco smuggling has caused the State budget to lose tax revenues. In addition, the quality of smuggled tobacco products on the market is uncontrollable, affecting genuine production and business enterprises. The headfront fighting against tobacco smuggling continues to face drawbacks as from 2019, the special consumption tax on domestic cigarettes increased to 75%, thereby creating a profit gap that stimulated the spread of illegal tobacco.

Faced with such  situation, according to Nguyen Phuong Dong, in addition to inspecting and controlling the market, propagating, disseminating and educating the law through conferences, training, signing commitments, distributing leaflets, websites, propaganda activities in the form of loudspeakers on cars on key roads of the province are also noted to increase awareness of the current issue of smuggled and counterfeit tobacco. Also according to him, propaganda by mobile vehicles is part of plans to proactively control the situation to detect, promptly prevent and strictly handle violations of commercial laws, especially for the upcoming Lunar New Year 2024.

In the coming time, the Director of the provincial Market Management Authority will also implement a number of key tasks on the plan to fight and prevent counterfeit goods, goods of unknown origin and goods that infringe intellectual property rights. In particular, the provincial Market Management Authority will propose to establish the provincial interdisciplinary Inspection Team 389 to focus on inspecting petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gas, chemicals, veterinary drugs etc. in the areas.

Along with that, the provincial Market Management Authority has stepped up the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and fraud on highly consumed items during Tet such as food, foodstuffs, and animal products , fertilizers, plant protection drugs, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, functional foods, medicinal herbs and traditional medicine, petroleum, gas, medical equipment and supplies, counterfeit goods made in Viet Nam etc. to promote information, propaganda, and mobilization of business organizations, individuals, and consumers not to participate in and assist in smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods in order to warn consumers early during the year-end shopping is coming.

Implementing Directive No. 30/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on strengthening the fight against cigarette smuggling and the work plan for dissemination and legal education in 2023, the Provincial Market Management Department has signed a cooperation agreement with BAT to deploy propaganda by mobile vehicles to serve the work of "prevention and combat of smuggled and fake tobacco" in the province for a period of 2 months (October and November 2023). Propaganda content includes penalties for trading, transporting, storing, and delivering smuggled tobacco and other forms of punishment.

Reported by Thanh Hong – Translated by Vi Bao