British American Tobacco Russia (BATR), one of the largest cigarette producers in Russia, has suggested introducing licensing to sell tobacco products, a company spokesman said on Tuesday.
Alexander Lyuty said BATR works closely with the legislative and executive branches of the Russian government, and said the company could work more effectively in curbing violations in tobacco sales, namely illegal sales to minors.
The Russian government has been pushing to remove tobacco sales from kiosks and street vendors as a means of restricting the sale of tobacco and tobacco products to minors. Tobacco would only be sold in large supermarkets.
Lyuty said if licensing would be in effect, then those kiosks and street vendors would have to register with the Tabakprom Association, of which BATR is a member.
He said that in order for small businesses to sell tobacco, the distributors of tobacco products, for example BATR, would see to it that companies complied with the legal sales of tobacco. If the business sells cigarettes to minors, then BATR would receive a heavy fine and then revoke the business's license to sell cigarettes in the future.
Small businesses, in particular kiosks, sell some 40% of tobacco in Russia.
Lyuty said if the government removes the right for kiosks to sell tobacco, "part of the market would fall into uncontrollable hands" with people selling tobacco on the streets and on the black market.
MOSCOW, August 3 (RIA Novosti)
