The number of buyers of duty-unpaid cigarettes caught jumped a staggering 165% to 6,012 in year 2007. This was up from 2,268 in year 2006. And for this year these figures will be even higher as daily a few people get caught smuggling in cigarettes from Indonesia or Malaysia.
A pack of Marlboro cost around 11 Singapore dollars in Singapore while that same pack costs only around 5 Singapore Dollar in Malaysia and even less in Indonesia.
Off course this makes it a big business for smugglers and the opportunists as they can earn up to 3 dollar per pack of cigarettes smuggled into Singapore.
And of course there are the buyers of these smuggled items,the common man on the street,middle class people like you and me and the poor. Like always it's us middle class people who get hit the worse and it is not for health reasons why the government punishes people who buy these cigarettes. They just do it to protect their market and the profits made on taxes!!!!!!!!!!
Make sure, when You come for a visit to Singapore from Malaysia and you have a pack of cigarettes U with for own use, to open it before you pass Singapore Immigration.
For each pack of cigarettes that is brought into Singapore and that is not been declared there is a fine of up to 500 Singapore Dollar!
So be ware because smoking in Singapore is not only bad for your health but can also be very bad for your wallet!!!
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