QNA
Doha
General Tax Authority (GTA) announced Wednesday the application of distinctive trademarks system on the excise merchandise. It is a surveillance system thataims to track the excise goods from the manufacturing phase until reaching the point of consumption. GTA said the system will be applied on cigarette and other tobacco products.
Under this system, a special digital stamp containing marks and security codes will be placed on merchandise with the aim of banning the circulation of inauthentic excise goods, and once this system is applied, it will not be allowed to import or circulate any excise goods and merchandise to the State of Qatar without the placement of valid and active distinctive marks on merchandise.
In a statement, GTA clarified that it has decided to apply the distinctive marks on cigarette and other tobacco products through three phases.
The first phase was launched on July 14, 2022, with the initiation of the distinctive merchandise marks to enable cigarette importers, whose names are registered in the excise tax, to electronically submit the distinctive trademarks application to the distinctive trademarks system. GTA pointed out that this phase was also applied on other tobacco products starting from Aug. 4, 2022.
The second phase includes the mandatory customs and will take effect from Oct. 13 and Nov.3,2022, for the other tobacco products, which is actually the stage of application to cigarettes and other tobacco products on import, as these products must have these distinctive trademarks placed on them and be activated upon arrival at the customs ports with the observation of customs
exemptions.
The third phase imply the application of distinctive trademarks in the local markets to be effective from Jan. 11, and Feb. 1,2023 for the other tobacco products.
However, all cigarette and other tobacco products available in the local markets must have distinctive trademarks placed on them, and at this stage its is strictly prohibited to import, transfer, store and hold any cigarette or tobacco products that do not have distinctive trademarks placed on them.
The application of distinctive trademarks comes in conformity with the role undertaken by GTA to reduce the circulation of counterfeit goods in the local markets, in addition to curbing tax evasion practices for the excise goods in the State of Qatar.
GTA has sought to ensure these goods are not brough to the Qatari market in collaboration with other surveillance entities and ensure the collection of the entire tax due on them when they are imported.