According to a report by TASS, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Leonid Slutsky, has proposed imposing heavier fines on individuals, public officials, and corporations for selling cigarettes and e-cigarettes to minors. Slutsky has already submitted the relevant bill to the Russian government for review.
The document proposes amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses (КоАП) in Russia. Consequently, for such illegal acts, the suggested fines for individuals range from 60,000 to 200,000 rubles, while for public officials it is 300,000 to 400,000 rubles, and for legal entities it is 600,000 to 800,000 rubles, with the possibility of suspending their activities for up to 90 days.
According to Slutske, current laws have already stipulated penalties for selling cigarettes and e-cigarettes to minors, but some vendors are still willing to take risks to earn more income. In view of this, the Liberal Democratic Party believes that the current sanctions are insufficient to deal with the problem and proposes strengthening penalties for repeat violations.
Earlier reports indicated that the Russian State Duma has successfully passed a law in its third reading. According to this law, starting from next year, there will be an increase in consumption taxes on tobacco and alcoholic beverages. This change has been initiated by the Russian government.
Prior to this, Russia enacted a law to impose fines up to 25,000 rubles for transporting products within its territory that exceeded the specified nicotine content without proper labeling. President Vladimir Putin signed the relevant legislation.
