Duty free tobacco limit lowered from today

Customs officers at the border will be enforcing new duty free limits for tobacco products from today.
 
Travellers will now have to pay GST and duty if they bring in more than 50 cigarettes, down from 200, or 50 grams of cigars or roll your own tobacco.  The gift concession for tobacco has also been removed.
 
“The change has been well signalled and people will have the opportunity to declare and discard excess tobacco on arrival.  People who don’t must pay the additional GST and duty, or face being fined and having their tobacco seized, and potentially even face prosecution.
 
“Interceptions of tobacco are expected to increase in the short term and to cope with this Customs has received $2.7 million dollars this financial year and $420,000 in subsequent years,” Nicky Wagner says.
 
The drop in the duty free limit is another step towards reducing the harm caused by smoking.
 
“New Zealand’s duty free tobacco allowance is now in line with Australia’s, and is in step with recent initiatives to make New Zealand effectively smoke-free by 2025,” Ms Wagner says.
 
The new duty free tobacco limit is forecast to raise $50 million in additional revenue a year for the government.