UK Chancellor rejects tax on disposable vapes
According to i News, UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt rejected calls from health officials to impose a new tax on disposable vapes in the government budget to be presented on March 15. The Department of Health and Social Care had been pushing for the tax to curb
According to news media reports, UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has rejected calls from health officials for a new tax on disposable e-cigarettes in the government budget to be submitted on March 15.
The Department of Health and Social Care has been pushing for a new tax to combat underage vaping. These proposals are expected to be included in the government's response to the Khan review on smoking, but Treasury sources have told me that the new tax will not be included in the budget on March 15.
“Health officials are keen, but it won’t happen,” a source told me.
Anti-smoking activists have also been urging the government to start taxing disposable e-cigarettes. “Adding a tax on disposable e-cigarettes in the March budget is an easy win; reducing the affordability of e-cigarettes could decrease youth vaping and the number of disposable e-cigarettes that end up in landfills,” said Deborah Arnott, CEO of Action on Smoking and Health.
“Adult smokers find e-cigarettes helpful in quitting smoking, which we support. However, given the recent increase in youth vaping, the government urgently needs to take action to strengthen regulation and enforcement,” Arnott added.
Reports indicate that UK ministers are considering a range of measures to prevent underage vaping. Proposed plans include banning candy-flavored e-liquid and cracking down on colorful marketing that may appeal to young people.
It is illegal in the UK to sell e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18, but national surveys show that an increasing number of 11-17 year-olds are using these devices, which health leaders attribute to associated marketing and flavors.
