ASH Daily News for 23/12/2003

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ASH Daily News
19-22 December 2003


HEADLINES

Customs doing better at tackling fraud
Tricks of cigarette marketing smoked out
Prince William inadvertently endorses cig brand
BAT to buy Italian tobacco co.
Hollywood asked to stop glamorising smoking


FULL TEXT

Customs doing better at tackling fraud

Customs & Excise is still losing a substantial amount of money to tobacco, alcohol and oil fraud but is doing a better job of tackling them, according to the National Audit Office and the department's own annual report.

After criticism by the NAO of customs' performance in tackling fraud and smuggling in recent years, Mike Eland, Customs chairman, claimed that its compliance strategies are now delivering "impressive results". According to Eland, £3.5bn in revenue has been protected as a result of the improved performance to tackle fraud. However, Sir John Bourn, head of NAO, said "the key test remains whether these changes will result in improved revenue yield" and how accurately the impact of the new approach could be measured.

Financial Times, 19/12/03



Tricks of cigarette marketing smoked out

There is further coverage of the release of thousands of internal marketing memos produced for the tobacco companies, Gallaher and Imperial, referring to smokers as "slobs" and other derogatory terms. The Express, for example, includes this in the headline: "Smokers are slobs (...and it's the tobacco firms that are saying so)".

A report in The Observer notes that the tobacco companies "are used to bad PR and are trying to remain relaxed... But the [documents'] disclosure does not come at a good time for the industry which is facing an Office of Fair Trading investigation for price-fixing."

David Hincliffe, chairman of the Health Select Committee, whose inquiry prompted the release of these documents, reiterated the call for a special regulatory body for the tobacco industry. "Their commercial hunger will always defeat voluntary solutions - and strictly enforced statutory controls are the only answer," he said.

Daily Express, Su, Daily Star, The Mirror, FT 19/12/03; The Observer, 21/12/03



Prince William inadvertently endorses cig brand

Prince William has been criticised for wearing a West branded jacket on a visit to a golf driving range. ASH said that it set a very bad example. A Royal spokesman said: "It's well known that Prince William is a non-smoker. There was no intention to endorse tobacco in any way."

News of the World, 21/12/03



BAT to buy Italian tobacco co.

BAT has been given approval by Italy's competition authorities to buy ETI, the state tobacco group. The £1.6bn deal can proceed on condition that the company stops manufacturing Philip Morris products.

The Times, 19/12/03



Hollywood asked to stop glamorising smoking

Legal officials from three US states have met Hollywood executives to encourage them to reduce the amount of smoking in films, which they say can encourage young people to smoke.

The attorneys general from Connecticut, Utah and Vermont met directors and production executives from the seven leading studies. William Sorrell, Vermont's attorney general, said the talks were "just the beginning of the dialogue. Our hope is not to restrict anyone's constitutional rights, but rather to let them know how great an impact they have on youth smoking rates in this country." Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut attorney general said he found "a very sympathetic ear" from the directors.

Glasgow Herald, 19/12/03



Ed: Apologies for lack of e-links to articles, today. Our server was down at time of writing.





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Amanda Sandford
Research Manager
ASH
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amanda.sandford@ash.org.uk