Confiscated Cigarettes To Be Sold, Not Burnt

Cigarettes, confiscated by Customs or other controlling organs, shall no more be annihilated as is the practice currently, but shall be realized, according to two bills submitted by the Government and MP Valeriu Calmatui and approved by parliament in the first reading today.

The bill drafters think it is not normal that the State itself ruins a property that can well be used much more rationally. Such items can be sold, with proceeds to be transferred to the State Budget. "Confiscated cigarettes are a State property, aren't they? The State Budget lacks funds, doesn't it?", Calmatui questioned.

Some parliamentarians went even further: inspired by the idea, they proposed to spread the sale practice to confiscated or contraband alcoholic beverages as well, which are also annihilated at the present time.

However, opponents subjected both bills to a sharp criticism. They believed that the interests of foreign cigarette manufacturers would be thus violated.

Stated independent MP Valeriu Plesca: "As you may know, such cigarettes are often fakes, but are sold using the trademarks of world-renowned companies. Somewhere in a Moldovan village, smart guys may make Marlboro cigarettes of the homemade tobacco. If such fakes are confiscated, should we really sell them? This is no good. Foreign producers register their brands with the national Agency for Industrial Property Protection (AGEPI), so we must defend their rights".