COUNTERFEIT GOODS COST BOSNIA MILLIONS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (October 2,2008) - In the first eight months of 2008 the Bosnian Taxation Administration seized counterfeit goods worth 3.3 million Bosnian Marks, and the favourite items of smugglers include cigarettes, clothing and cosmetics.

According to the Bosnian Taxation Administration, China is their country of origin in most cases. Smuggled goods mainly find their way to the Bosnian market though illegal border crossings, and illicit trade is considered to cause looses worth millions of tax revenue.

The consumer protection associations point out, however, that the system of market control is almost non-existent. Representatives of the Bosnian textile industry claim they have been pushing for some kind of government protection against cheap Chinese clothes and footwear, but with no success so far.
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