Smoking award

MANY people who live in the south of Spain visit Gibraltar for three main reasons, cheap booze, cheap petrol and cheap cigarettes.

For years, the ‘Winston Boys’ of neighbouring La Linea have been involved in the smuggling of tobacco into Spain as duty is so much lower in Gibraltar.

Whilst the income from tobacco sales is important to the revenue raised by the government on the Rock, politicians have recognised that if they are going to get anywhere with the still ongoing Brexit/Schengen negotiations they had to do something to cut back the smuggling.

There are now stringent penalties on Gibraltarian businesses that sell large volumes of tobacco and also restrictions on the amount that any individual can purchase with new and higher duties being regularly imposed.

None of this considers the health problems caused by smoking, but even though tobacco is still cheap and plentiful on the Rock, Gibraltar is one of just two administrations which year re ­ ceived recognition for their work on tobacco control.

The Government of Gibraltar has been formally recognised for its work on tobacco control by the UK Health Security Agency Overseas Team (a packet of Silk Cut Purple in the UK costs £16.35 and in Gibraltar around £5).