A label scheme to identify legitimate tobacco products in Hong Kong will be fully implemented by June 2027, authorities have revealed.
Responding to an inquiry by lawmaker Edmund Wong Chun-sek, Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat said his department would invite tobacco companies to join a pilot scheme later this year.
“Having considered the relevant factors, we suggest that the system should be implemented in phases, with the first phase expected to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2026 at the earliest, and the full implementation is targeted for the second quarter of 2027,” Chan said in a written reply.
The customs chief had earlier announced plans to introduce laser labels on taxed tobacco products in a bid to tackle black market cigarettes.
In his written reply, Chan said the scheme’s exact launch date would depend on how much time was needed to amend the relevant laws, the complexity of the new regulations, the type of labelling system introduced, the industry’s readiness and the use of a grace period for accumulated stock.
The department confiscated HK$2.7 billion (US$347 million) worth of illicit cigarettes in more than 20,000 cases last year.
