New laws to stop illegal trade in cigarettes and alcohol and ban on freebees

Parliament is working on a bill to prevent illegal trade of alcohol and cigarettes. The new law would broaden the powers of local authorities to fight illegal trade, making them responsible for imposing fines on those who illegally sell such goods. Transport companies would be held responsible for detecting smugglers, who in the case of foreigners, would be refused visas or even face a ban on entering Poland for one year. It is estimated that due to illegal trade in spirits the state budget annually loses nearly zl. 2 billion and over zl. 2 billion due to illegal trade of cigarettes. Parliament also looked into the draft amendment to the law on competition and consumer protection, which could see the banning of freebee offers, as some see such activities as unfair competition, arguing that small businesses cannot afford to lure customers with free gifts. Increasingly more dailies, magazines and other products offer such freebees. Tomasz Englert, president of MediaCom, thinks the amendment would hit not only the consumers but also the companies which want to promote their new products by giving away free samples. The Direct Marketing Association (SMB) is also protesting against the amendment. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 23) K.S.