Good News for Australians on the Upcoming Tobacco Import Restrictions

[ATGroom]

Most of you will have been aware about the legislation coming into effect in July that will ban the importation of tobacco without a permit, and I think like me most of you had probably assumed that would mean the end of private importing of cigars (and have been building a stockpile in response?).

Department of Home Affairs issued this notice yesterday:

 

Quote

 

DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS NOTICE No. 2019/13 
  
Tobacco prohibited import and permit arrangement The Australian Government has introduced measures to combat the illicit tobacco trade as part of the 2018-19 Budget ‘Black Economy Package – combatting illicit tobacco’. The package includes a measure to prohibit the importation of tobacco without a permit. The Customs (Prohibited Imports) Amendment (collecting Tobacco Duties) Regulations 2019 enabling this measure commences on 1 July 2019.  

The measure amends the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulation 1956 (the Regulations) to include regulation 4DA that prohibits the importation of tobacco products (other than certain exempted tobacco products) into Australia without written permission.  

Under regulation 4DA, the following tobacco products are exempt from the new import prohibition:
• smokeless tobacco products intended for oral use specified in regulation 4U of the Regulations
• cigars  
• tobacco products imported by travellers within duty free limits
• unmanufactured tobacco specified in regulation 4D of the Regulations.

Permits will be issued by the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs). To obtain a permit, importers are required to lodge a written application with supporting documentation to Home Affairs. Permits will be subject to conditions or requirements that must be complied with by the permit holder. Breaches of permit conditions or requirements may result in the revocation of the permit.

 

https://www.abf.gov.au/importing-exporting-and-manufacturing/prohibited-goods/categories/tobacco

[JohnS]

Thanks for this @ATGroom. @Luca mentioned this a few days ago privately to me, so it's great to get an official confirmation. What a nice piece of relieving and satisfying news!

[Luca]

Thank you @ATGroom for posting this. It is a huge relief to hear! 

[westg]

Thanks for this ?

[TBird55]

Glad you guys finally got a break.

[OZCUBAN]

Thanks for the info glad we don’t need a permit

still run the gauntlet  customs though 

still less legislation the better ?

[gweilgi]

Hang on ...

"Tobacco products imported by travellers within duty free limits"?  

Does this not mean that bringing in a box of cigars, which is well above duty free limits, would not be exempt?  Or am I reading this wrong?  

[bayala]

47 minutes ago, gweilgi said:

Hang on ...

"Tobacco products imported by travellers within duty free limits"?  

Does this not mean that bringing in a box of cigars, which is well above duty free limits, would not be exempt?  Or am I reading this wrong?  

Good point. That's how I read that. 

[ATGroom]

4 hours ago, gweilgi said:

Hang on ...

"Tobacco products imported by travellers within duty free limits"?  

Does this not mean that bringing in a box of cigars, which is well above duty free limits, would not be exempt?  Or am I reading this wrong?  

My interpretation is that a box of cigars is fine as cigars are exempt anyway, but bringing in a carton of cigarettes would not be.

[gweilgi]

5 minutes ago, ATGroom said:

My interpretation is that a box of cigars is fine as cigars are exempt anyway, but bringing in a carton of cigarettes would not be.

Which is, frankly, the very height of idiocy. (*)

If I bring in a carton of cigarettes and do not declare them, I commit an illegal act and will be fined appropriately.  Applying for a permit is the last thing on the mind of the would-be smuggler.

And if I bring in a carton of cigarettes, do declare them and pay the applicable taxes an import duties, then clearly it makes no sense for me to have to apply for a permit since my tobacco is then not illicit and I am not engaged in an attempt to deny Her Majesty's Australian government their pound of flesh.   

Not to mention that they seem to have forgotten to put a lower limit on these regulations, thereby commingling individuals who bring in small quantities for their own use and those who import (or smuggle) for commercial purposes.  Now, who is the real target here?  The smuggler who brings in counterfeit and/or smuggled smokes by the container.  And who will be hit by this?  The tourist, the individual smoker, the holiday-maker.  

Is Canberra air so rarified that the brains of politicians and bureaucrats suffer from oxygen starvation?  

 

(*) given that we are talking about government, I hereby self-nominate this as today's Statement Of The Bleeding Obvious

[joeruby]

That really is great news. It does feel like a small win. Not knowing how much permits would have cost or how restrictive they would have been on importing a box or two was becoming concerning. Have been stocking up recently with the view that it would probably have to go in too hard basket for me come July.. I reckon the gov probably thought the lucrative duty, taxes and GST we pay would dwindle significantly if enough oz hobbyists were going to ease up or stop totally.  Decision to exempt was all about the gov continuing the very high $$  taxes we’re forced to pay imo..