Four giant cigarette manufacturers will take part in a High Court fight over legislation that, as it stands, will demand cigarettes to be sold in plain packages by May next year, in accordance with a story by Ben Martin for the Electronic Telegraph.

British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International and Philip Morris International will line up against the authorities on Thursday at the beginning of a six-day hearing.

Despite the fact that companies originally lodged court papers on their own, their offers to have plain tobacco packaging determined unlawful would be heard as one case, wrote Martin. The four tobacco makers were co-operating with each other so that each one would provide a unique argument against the plain packaging laws. A conclusion is estimated by January but no matter what the final result of the hearing, the side that loses is likely to appeal.

On the other hand, any High Court ruling could become less relevant if the tobacco companies gain a distinct case in Luxembourg in which they are trying to demonstrate that the plain packaging regulation implemented by the UK is greater than the conditions of the EU’s Second Tobacco Products Directive.

Martin wrote that the firms were not boasting compensation or costs but that if they succeeded in scrapping the legal guidelines ‘they could obtain large payouts’. It was not clear why they could get such payouts, which would most probably be paid by taxpayers already hard affected by austerity actions.
In April, one well-placed viewer approximated that UK taxpayers could be injured with a bill for £12 billion if the government lost.

By Kevin Lawson, Staff Writer.
Copyright © 2015 tobaccopub.net All rights reserved.