Fuente: Tobacco Reporter Lugar: Uncategorized The illicit tobacco trade is costing Australia up to A$11.8 billion ($7.9 billion) a year in lost tax revenue, according to a new report from the federal government’s Illicit Tobacco and E-cigarette (ITEC) Commissioner. The report estimates that around half of all tobacco sold in Australia is illicit (recent reports have put the number anywhere from 25-65%), while the e-cigarette market largely operates outside health and regulatory controls.



Government revenue from legal tobacco has fallen sharply, with A$7.7 billion collected in 2024–25, down from A$12.6 billion in 2022–23 and A$16.3 billion in 2019–20. While a separate Australian Taxation Office report put the illicit market share at 25% in 2023–24 with A$ 3.2 billion in evaded taxes, the ITEC report warned the problem is escalating and increasingly driven by organized crime.



Authorities seized a record 2,244 tons of illicit tobacco and e-cigarettes in 2024–25, including 2.7 billion cigarettes, equivalent to 56% of legally imported tobacco. ITEC Commissioner Amber Shuhyta called for a multi-pronged response, noting that Australia’s cigarette excise—now A$1.49 per cigarette, up from A$0.53 in 2015—has contributed to the scale of the illicit market.The post Australia Trying to Define Extent of Illicit Tobacco Crisis first appeared on Tobacco Reporter.