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Post by standbymezzz on Jul 18, 2012 0:44:28 GMT 7
As from 1st Sept 2012 the allowance for duty free smokes changes. The old 250 allowance for cigarettes goes to only 50. www.customs.gov.au/site/page4352.aspTry buying 50 duty free cigs at any major airport, eg Changi, not possible .... only 200 packs available ... what a joke we are becoming to international travellers, "FAIR GO"should be deleted from the aussie language. |
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Post by Banjo on Jul 18, 2012 4:44:21 GMT 7
50 smokes isn't much is it?
Can you open a couple of packets and bring them in as well?
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Post by standbymezzz on Jul 18, 2012 11:23:40 GMT 7
Well Banjo, I would say that in the tech sense 50 cigs will be the limit open or not, however I would be suprised if Customs Staff are going to waste their time counting every single smoke arriving in Australia, its just not commonsense when you really are looking for food items, maybe they will get the sniff dogs to jump on you if they detect swallowed bundles of tobacco.
Its just another case of the anti smokers lobby winning again.
Ahhh and for the non smokers who don't care a damn .... Beer is also going up as of Sept .... as normal
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Post by Banjo on Jul 18, 2012 13:47:05 GMT 7
As a reformed smoker and recovering drinker I really don't give too many hoots....  I doubt they have the dogs spare to train for tobacco, every available pooch would be nosing up to drugs, money and explosives at doggy school, then there's the food smugglers... a far worse problem than a few smokes. |
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Post by peter on Jul 19, 2012 1:14:17 GMT 7
The only grog really affordable for the poor old pensioner in Australia is the wine. especially the old gallon port and sherry, which is now inexpensive in the two litre container. Years ago it was derided as plonk, but the quality is not too bad.
I was wondering where the word plonk came from. It's Australian in origin and comes from the troops in France in WW1 asking for "vin blanc" which became shortened to "blanc" and then plonk.
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Post by Banjo on Jul 19, 2012 4:13:25 GMT 7
Back in the day I was an enthusiastic home brewer. At least once a week I produced over thirty large bottles of excellent home made beer for about $10 if I got the cans of concentrate at the right price. One of the initial attractions of spending time in Asia was the low cost of alcohol, I loved the Philippines with it's San Miguel beer at about 30 cents a stubby and it's cheap imported spirits. Centrelink was never very understanding as to how I kept missing my flights back to Australia.  |
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Post by chrisnouy on Jul 19, 2012 4:22:36 GMT 7
I too am a born again non smoker and 'almost' non drinker but not neccessarily through choice
But I do object to wowsers trying to control peoples lives. The whole concept of 'free will 'being what separates man is from beast is underminded.Incidentally many animals will get wasted on narcotics given the opportunity
There are a multitude of paths to hell and we should all be allowed to choose our own.
Didnt know the origin of the word plonk--Thanks peter There are many such examples --didnt soldiers change languge over the centuries
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Post by peter on Jul 19, 2012 9:41:37 GMT 7
Well Banjo, there is no more 30 cents San Miguel Beer, its now around 50 cents grocery price. But if one is on a budget, three bottles of Beer na Beer can still be had for $1. Not as good but drinkable.
As for cigarettes, one could sometimes buy a ten packet pack also for $1 at Macro, again no so good but if one wants to go up market its $3 for ten packs.
In both cases its where business politics wins as the very influential Lucio Tan controls the cigarette market and Allied Brewery and the last thing he wants to happen is tax on his products so he pulls the strings to make sure that does not occur, and even then, he does not remit all of the minimal tax he is supposed to pay.
It is the politics of death though, as cheap rotten grog there, the rum at $1 a large bottle, puts lots into an early cirrhotic grave. Its not pure but people disregard that, including a lot of foreign retirees and it puts many into an early grave.
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Post by Banjo on Jul 19, 2012 13:13:39 GMT 7
And that rocket fuel beer... Red Horse or something?
You had to love the Philippines though, I remember when San Miguel Light came out, the TV was saturated with ads with happy teenagers guzzling it like it was water and it was 5%!!!!!
Not that it was bad drink, I had a few after getting off the plane one night, I thought a few "lights" would be ok even if I was tired... couldn't work out why the floor was getting closer and closer until I looked at the label and saw 5.0.
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Post by Denis-NFA on Jul 19, 2012 14:26:22 GMT 7
And don't start drinking with the locals.
I couldn't believe the first time when I watched them toss a glass of beer down so fast then fill it up and pass it to the next person to do the same!
But I guess if you have been raised on the coconut 'wine', tuba, tossing a beer or 4 down would be pretty tame.
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Post by peter on Jul 19, 2012 14:35:31 GMT 7
That San Mig Light was its introduction strength. Today its about 3% and a beer one can drink all evening with little effect. The Red Horse is about 7% but its not truly brewed beer. There is a spirit added to it to give it the strength. Spirits are far cheaper than beer in the Philippines and Red Horse was introduced as a competitor to spirits rather than beer.
My comment about the cheap rum being cirrhotic I know of cases where that happened. Burned out livers are common amongst drinkers there.
If the rum or other cheap spirit is left standing overnight, it really does have a kerosene or methylated spirit smell about it.
Buyers be warned.
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Post by baranghope on Jul 19, 2012 15:05:35 GMT 7
Similar grog scenario in Thailand and Cambodia. Beers about the same 50-60 cents a tinnie. A bit more and you get an awesome stout, called Beer Lao, which I found to be the breakfast of champions. Barring that they make a pretty awful clean sorghum whiskey and other liver killers for the locals. But Thailand offers "White Spirits", a clean vodka style liquor for about $4 bucks a 700 ml bottle. Great mixed with pomegranate juice. This is all nostalgia now of course, as in holidays are expensive, and the average Oz holidaymaker spends, get this, $150 per day in Thailand (getting poisoned or murdered or drowned or maimed) half the time.
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Post by standbymezzz on Jul 19, 2012 23:41:53 GMT 7
About a year ago I was stopped from taking a bot of rum on a flight from Clark PH coz in hand luggage, my attitude was ... shit should have known better ... but at $1.50 ... who damn cares. If I had done same thing in Aust I would have been a diff matter ... at $32 plus I would have been really pissed off. Much better living in SE Asia for my stress levels ...LOL
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Post by Banjo on Aug 31, 2012 12:34:20 GMT 7
Two-pack smokes limit set to create Customs havocPassengers arriving from overseas will be fuming about new duty-free tobacco restrictions that come into effect tomorrow. Airports have warned inbound passengers can expect long delays in customs halls around the country as officials attempt to enforce a new cigarette limit of two packs per adult, down from the current limit of 250 cigarettes or 250 grams of tobacco products. The Federal Government has cut the duty-free allowance to 50 cigarettes (effectively two packs) from September 1, and any brought into the country from tomorrow over the limit have to be declared for payment of federal duties or be surrendered. The Australian Airports Association, representing the nation's airports, has slammed the rushed implementation of the new duty-free allowance, saying it will divert already-stretched customs officers from the front line of passenger processing. Advertisement Officers will be patrolling passenger queues to request passengers to surrender cartons of duty free cigarettes over the two-pack limit or pay the tobacco duty due, the association said. "Travellers are already experiencing delays being processed as they enter Australia at a number of our international airports due to last year's cuts to Customs staff. This ill-considered implementation date for the duty free tobacco cuts is going to make an already dire situation disastrous," said the airport association's chief executive Caroline Wilkie. Passengers, particularly from the burgeoning inbound Asian and Chinese tourism markets, have been given little or no warning, the association says. "We know there will be no advertising of the change in China until November – two months after the restriction starts — and China is one of the highest tobacco user countries in the world," Ms Wilkie said. "We know the education campaign will not begin overseas until September 1 and will not involve radio, television or newspapers. Consequently people will arrive from other countries with no knowledge of this new restriction." The situation is set to cause chaos in arrivals, she warned. "We have been advised overseas-based duty free retailers will not advise those travelling to Australia of the changes to allowances, as they will lose sales. "We know the new restrictions will mean Australia doesn't comply with known international duty free standards and conventions, causing added confusion. "This is the perfect storm waiting to happen and in the long term it is Australia's tourism industry that will face the damage," Ms Wilkie warned. Ms Wilkie said the association's requests to delay the implementation of the new limits until March next year have been "ignored" by the Federal Government. "Airports are concerned that implementing this new restriction tomorrow will cause significant pressure on airport infrastructure and create major delays at the primary line because Customs have not been given enough time or money to deliver an education campaign and operational plan for a smooth implementation process," she said. "Australian airports invest billions of dollars to improve the passenger experience. This initiative from the government will have serious consequences for our nation's reputation with travellers and a direct impact on repeat visitation of international tourists. “The timing of these new restrictions is even more unfortunate considering the hard work currently under way to encourage people from Asia to come to Australia despite the mess that will be waiting for them on arrival," Ms Wilkie said. A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson said the organisation "has implemented a domestic and international awareness campaign to ensure international travellers are aware of the new tobacco duty-free limit". "We are ready for tomorrow's implementation and have taken steps to minimise any impact on passenger flows wherever possible. Like any change, there is always a settling-in period, and we expect this will be the case with the tobacco duty-free limit change. "We thank passengers for their patience during this settling in period," the spokesperson said. Read more: www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/twopack-smokes-limit-set-to-create-customs-havoc-20120831-254u9.html#ixzz256D18Mic
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Post by ghostbuster on Sept 19, 2012 9:59:49 GMT 7
;D I am in the Philippines now and i can buy San Mig light for 26 pesos each and the alcohol content is the same as always 5% and very tasty as i can "hic hic" say testament to that. The foreigner bars sell it for 70 to 90 pesos each but other bars you can get for 30 pesos.
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