TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – An anti-tobacco civil group in Taiwan is calling for stricter regulations on the import of tax-free cigarettes by arriving visitors amid a cigarette-smuggling scandal that has left the Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) administration reeling.

Taiwan must terminate the practice of allowing visitors to bring in duty-free tobacco products by amending the Tobacco and Alcohol Tax Act, demanded the John Tung Foundation (董氏基金會) at a press conference on Thursday (Aug. 1). The foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of well-being.

Taiwan sees the annual import of over 15 million cartons of cigarettes, or more than 150 million packs, via duty-free channels, both illegal and illegal, pointed out Yao Si-yuan (姚思遠), chief executive of the John Tung Foundation. He lashed out against the government's hands-off approach to the activity, which has resulted in rampant smuggling of tobacco products and undermined the island’s efforts to control tobacco over the past 35 years.

According to Guo Fei-ran (郭斐然), a physician at National Taiwan University Hospital’s Department of Family Medicine, Taiwan has the lowest tobacco taxes and prices among developed countries, with a price difference of NT$550 between a duty-free carton and one available on the market. Clinical research suggests a correlation between the willingness to quit smoking and the rise of cigarette prices, he said.

Lin Ching-li (林清麗), head of the foundation’s Tobacco Hazard Prevention Section, urged the government to implement regulations in compliance with the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products under the World Health Organization. The treaty involves the tracking and supply chain control of tobacco goods with the aim of cracking down on the illegal trade of the products and curbing the tobacco epidemic.