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AUSTRALIA. Customs authorities are concerned about the strain of enforcing Australia’s impending reduction in tobacco allowances, according to documents leaked to The Australian. The internal report casts doubt on Customs’ ability to effectively police the new allowance, with 1.7 million passengers expected to enter the country with excess tobacco in the 2013-14 financial year.
The Customs report says that officers will face an increased workload as well as “a sizeable increase in the cost of recording, processing, storage, transport and destruction of abandoned cigarettes”.
The Australian claims that Customs officials were caught unawares by the government’s budget announcement in May, echoing concerns expressed by airports and retailers over lack of consultation.
The article reports that Customs will implement a print and online awareness campaign this month, with an inflight video message due at the end of August. But it said this will be of limited effect on the high proportion of Asian passengers who do not speak English, and that it has no capacity to control tobacco sales outside Australia.
The report also warns that the new measure means Australia is no longer compliant with “international conventions and known international standards”.
Fears over passenger backlogs caused by Customs procedures reflect sentiment expressed by airports and airport retailers.
Shortly after the budget announcement, The Nuance Group Australia CEO Derek Larsen said: “The government will have to spend more on Customs to deal with the expected influx of tobacco in excess of one packet or decide to turn its back on those cheating the system. Already the queues at some of our airports are at times very long. This is frustrating for travellers coming into the country after many hours flying and it will only get worse.”
