Page 138 - TAIWAN TOBACCO CONTROL ANNUAL REPORT 2019

content of 8 smuggled tobacco items submitted for inspection exceeded the maximum content standards set forth in the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act. Penalties were imposed in accordance with the Tobacco and Wine Management Act. In addition, the listed values on the containers of 4 tobacco items exceeded the tolerance range. False labeling of tobacco items violates the regulations set forth in Article 7 of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act. Local health bureaus imposed fines totaling NT$ 4 million in 3 cases and provided administrative guidance in 1 case. Testing results for nicotine and tar contents in cigarettes sold on the market from 1995 to 2018 showed that most cigarettes sold on the market were compliant to nicotine and tar content limits imposed by health authorities. However, there are over 7,000 different kinds of chemicals in tobacco smoke, and 93 of these chemicals are carcinogenic or toxic substances that could seriously injure physical health. Reporting of Tobacco Products Information Given that tobacco ingredients, additives, and emissions given off when burnt are addictive and toxic, there would be a need to make such information open and transparent to the public. Hence, Articles 9 and 10 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) have stipulated that tobacco manufacturers and importers must submit data on tobacco ingredients, toxic substances and potential emissions to the government. Signatory parties to the FCTC must also implement control and testing of tobacco ingredients and openly publicize these data for public agencies and the people in order to prevent health hazards caused by these tobacco products. According to the regulation of Article 8 of the "Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act" amended and announced on July 11, 2007, tobacco industry shall declare relevant information of tobacco products. The "Regulations Governing Reporting of Tobacco Product Information" was established and announced on December 4, 2008 in Taiwan, and Articles 6, 9 and 10 were amended in 2012, which specified that the ingredients, additives, emissions and known toxicity data of tobacco products shall be declared by the manufacturer and importer, as well as the inspection of declared items, method of declaration and time etc. required. In order to make the principles of tobacco product declaration and review more complete and clear, and to improve the accuracy of the tobacco product declaration data, the department amended the "Principle of Declaration and Examination of Tobacco Product Information", which took effect on November 28, 2017.In 2018, a total of 584 companies declared tobacco product information for a total of 4,792 tobacco products. The HPA referred to the monthly tobacco product import information provided by the Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance to verify the compliance of tobacco companies on the declaration of tobacco product information. Article 25 of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act stipulated that declarations that failed to comply with the relevant regulations or contain omissions will be punished by a fine of no less than NTD 100,000 but no more than NTD 500,000 and shall be ordered to report within a specified period of time. Those who failed to report within the specified period of time shall be fined repeatedly and continuously for each failure to comply. In 2018, a total of 9 violations were punished for a total fine of NTD 900,000. In 2009, in order to facilitate the management of declared information, the HPA began commissioning a project to setup a Tobacco Ingredients Information Website and a closed database system for storing and importing declared but confidential information submitted by tobacco manufacturers and importers. Declared information to be publicly disclosed shall be placed on the Tobacco Ingredients Information Website for public access and perusal and to disclose tobacco ingredients, additives, and emissions as well as their toxicological information. In order to provide the public with faster and more immediate counselling, the HPA released the new 136