More than 14 thousand counterfeit toners were incinerated, yesterday, in Maputo city, by the National Inspection of Economic Activities (INAE). This is material seized in several commercial establishments in the city and province of Maputo, since the last quarter of 2017.

According to INAE, the seizure of the products results from a complaint made by the owner of the brand that detected the circulation, in the national market, of fake toner bearing his brand.

"From the complaint we went to investigate the establishments and we found the presence of counterfeit products, so we proceeded to seize and reversion in favor of the state.

Once it is a falsified product, its destination is incineration," said Cilda Novelo, head of the Economic Research and Diligence Department at INAE.

He explained that some of the products are made domestically by counterfeiting agents, and some are imported from sea, land and air routes, with the Republic of South Africa (RSA) border being one of the entry points.

However, weaknesses in the system have led to their entry and circulation.

"Counterfeiting is a crime and the penalty consists in the payment of 112 minimum wages for a singular seller and 224 for collective agents," he said.

He said that the owner of the brand loses because in the concordance between the genuine and the counterfeit, the latter always wins, due to the low price applied by the latter in the market.

"But also, falsificators usually don't pay taxes, which causes losses to the state since it doesn't receive the revenues.

The most aggravating thing is that it causes health problems for those who use the product when inhaled and damages the printers," he said.

It is important to highlight that besides the owner of the brand losing by unfair competition, he spent about 648 thousand meticais for the incineration of the products. (News)