Orrin Hatch: “Let me just show you this chart in connection with my next question. It is one thing to talk about Norway, Denmark and…”

“Let me just show you this chart in connection with my next question. It is one thing to talk about Norway, Denmark and the United Kingdom as some have in this body. It is entirely another thing to talk about the United States of America where most of the big tobacco companies actually reside and exist. This chart shows U.S. cigarette imports from Canada, 1984 through 1996. You notice it was relatively level here up until 1990, when Canada suddenly increased their excise taxes dramatically. Then, all of a sudden we have imports from Canada going up dramatically. There were U.S. cigarette imports from Canada in 1984, imports which then went back into Canada and sold as contraband at a lower price. Is the Senator aware of that?”