Retail Group challenges Irish Heart Foundation to explain why it is ignoring official Revenue data on illicit tobacco trade

Retailers Against Smuggling (RAS) has criticised the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) for dismissing concerns about the tobacco black market as “industry spin”, despite clear evidence from Revenue demonstrating the scale of the problem. Official Revenue figures show that 38% of cigarettes consumed in Ireland in 2025 had no Irish duty paid, while the estimated notional loss to the Exchequer from illegal cigarettes alone was €648 million in excise and VAT.

Benny Gilsenan, National Spokesperson for RAS, said: “If the Irish Heart Foundation wants to dismiss concerns about the black market as industry spin, maybe it should first explain why it is ignoring the official data published by Revenue. These are not industry figures; they are the official figures that matter when assessing the sheer size of the illegal market for tobacco and its impact on the State.”

“To dismiss the very real concerns of retailers while overlooking this evidence is itself total NGO spin. Our members are losing business and income to an illegal trade that is costing the Exchequer hundreds of millions of euros. There is no arguing with that fact. RAS fully supports all efforts by Revenue to clamp down on the illegal tobacco trade and ensure that those operating outside the law are held to account.”