Illegal Tobacco Growth Costing Three Provinces $2.47 Billion in Taxes: Retail Report

Cigarette butts fill a smoking receptacle outside a federal building in Washington, on April 15, 2021. The Canadian Press/AP/J. Scott Applewhite

The governments of British Columbia, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador lost up to $2.47 billion in tax revenues over four years due to the growth in illegal tobacco sales, says a convenience industry report.

The Convenience Industry Council of Canada report released Wednesday examined the downward trend in legal tobacco sales in the three provinces since 2019, compared with the rising growth in the underground contraband tobacco market.