Yesmoke Tobacco S.p.A.

Investigations reveal that US local stores sell cigarettes to minors

While public opinion persists in being against on line cigarettes sales, deemed to be a viable way for youngsters to obtain cigarettes, in Long Beach (CA) the rate of success by youngsters attempts at purchasing cigarettes in local stores has hit 36%. And in case of failure in one store, the minor one can walk right into the next one.

This means that to a youngster in Long Beach needs to try three times on average before being successful at purchasing cigarettes at the local stores without any problems.

A legislative measure that lends itself to pranks worthy of the "Guinness Book of Records"

Imagine that the U.S. Postal Service is not a Federal service, but State run, and that each of the 50 States has its own stamps and rates; so a person mailing a letter from Pennsylvania to New York would buy a stamp that only covered the travel to the Pennsylvania border.

Imagine then, that for the part owed to New York State, the sender has to "file with the tax administrator of the State into which such shipment is made, no later than the 10th day of each calendar month." The bill will arrive at home. …Modern! Read more »

The tobacco multinationals at work against a little competitor

This is the multinational effect: aggressiveness or blind fear

This report intends to describe the actions undertaken against Yesmoke, and to illustrate the annihilation procedures brought into play against competitors in the tobacco field. Follow the events step-by-step on the pages that follow!

How has the world of cigarettes ended up in the hands of five companies that have succeeded in crushing every form of competition? Yesmoke will try to bring to light the connivance with tobacco, which often stems only from fear and incredible hysterical reactions when organizations come up against the imaginary power attributed to the colossi of the tobacco market. Read more »

The U.S. anti smuggling "Task Force" joins the battle against U.S. tobacco companies

Custer's Last Battle

On April 26th 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court breathed new life into the European Union lawsuit that accuses U.S. tobacco companies of being actively involved for many years in smuggling contraband cigarettes into the EU.

In August 2001 the EU had tried to recover BILLIONS in tax revenue lost on smuggled cigarettes, from RJ Reynolds and Phillip Morris. However, the U.S. judge explained that, based on the "Revenue Rule", he did not have jurisdiction over the collection of foreign taxes, in other words, the smuggling claims.

The "Revenue Rule" is a longstanding common law doctrine, which provides that a Court in America will not enforce tax claims of other sovereign States. Stated very simply, a U.S. Court could not take legal action in contraband issues involving the activities of American companies in other countries. Read more »

Smokers get ill after spending fortunes

A smoker in New York who buys two packs of cigarettes will pay about nine dollars to the State. If he smokes 730 packs in 12 months, in the year he will pay to the State 3,285 dollars in taxes more than a non-smoker.

All over the world high taxes on cigarettes are justified by "the social cost of tobacco". In fact, it causes pathologies that afflict, or will afflict a great number of smokers. For this reason, tobacco leads to enormous medical costs, that are paid by the collectivity.

Tobacco use in the United States entails annual medical costs of more than $75 billion dollars. Who pays? Speaking of social costs, we tend to forget to make the distinction between the countries that guarantee free medical services for everyone, as in Europe, and countries where medical aid is left to the economic possibilities of the individual, as in the United States. Read more »