Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14
By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:
Azerbaijan has decreased import of cigarettes by six times within two months, Aydin Aliyev, head of the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, told reporters March 14.
Aliyev said that this is primarily connected with prevention of import of tobacco products to be used for commercial purposes, under the guise of non-commercial use.
"As is known, in accordance with the law, one individual is allowed to import 30 packs of cigarettes for personal use into the country," the head of the state customs committee said. "Unfortunately, some repeatedly cross the border with Georgia, Iran and Russia during the day, import the allowed volumes of tobacco products several times and then use them for commercial purposes."
This kind of business inflicts a lot of damage, according to Aliyev.
"Such actions are detrimental not only to the country's market of tobacco products, but also Azerbaijan's economy as a whole," Aliyev said.
In January 2016, tobacco products worth $5.44 million were imported to Azerbaijan, which is 6.1 times less than in the same period last year, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan