Revenue has found that no duty or taxes have been paid on more than a third of cigarettes smoked in Ireland, reports the Irish Independent.

According to the Irish Independent, the figure is the highest since tax authorities began tracking smokers’ sources with regular surveys in 2009 and represents a loss to the Exchequer of around EUR 422 million.
The study from Revenue shows that hardly any of the smuggled cigarettes were counterfeit but rather normal commercial brands bought outside of Ireland, this suggests that the main tobacco companies are not suffering from the illegal trade but may be making sales in other jurisdictions that are ultimately for consumption in Ireland, reports the Irish Independent.
Revenue estimates that the around 32.9 million illegal cigarette packs smoked per year result in a EUR 422 million loss to the Exchequer.
Vincent Jennings of the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association (CSNA) said that the Exchequer and retailers are the big losers of this trend and that legal imports by individuals are the biggest driver of the increase in non-duty paid supplies, according to the Irish Independent.
Consumers are allowed to carry 800 cigarettes into Ireland from elsewhere in the EU for personal use, but there is no legal upper limit if that is challenged.
“It was a growing problem and it exploded after the pandemic as people started to travel again,” Mr Jennings said. He added that the recent 75 per cent increase in duty, has pushed the price of a pack of 20 to EUR 16.75, encouraging more people to buy abroad.