From: Richmond Times-Dispatch
Illegal cigarette smuggling in the U.S. costs the public coffers at least $2.95 billion annually in lost state tax revenue, yet the problem does not garner much public concern.
“The bottom line is that this doesn’t seem to be a high priority,” said Frank Chaloupka, an economist at the University of Illinois at Chicago who spoke last week at the annual meeting of the Tobacco Merchants Association in Williamsburg, a gathering of industry representatives and some public health advocates who discussed regulatory issues surrounding tobacco products.
