Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish the results of the HM Revenue and Customs consultation on sanctions for tobacco duty fraud, which closed on 28 August 2015.

In 2015, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) invited views from other government departments, enforcement agencies, and representatives of business and public health groups on sanctions and wider action to tackle illicit tobacco. A summary of responses was sent to all respondents to this informal consultation on 15 Jan 2016.

Most respondents recognised the extensive range of criminal and civil sanctions available to HMRC and Border Force or through delivery partners, such as Trading Standards. The consensus was that more could be done to maximise the impact of existing sanctions and to explore additional sanctions with a particular focus on repeat offenders.

The Government announced at Budget 2016 that HMRC would formally consult on a range of proposals for tougher sanctions to tackle this problem. HMRC plans to launch the formal consultation later this year.