North West health expert welcomes potential vape tax
It's thought chancellor Jeremy Hunt is considering a levy relating to the products in Wednesday's budget
Last updated 15th Apr 2024
A former health boss claims any tax on vaping will be the step in the right direction to deter young people from vaping in the North West.
Ahead of Wednesday budget announcement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is considering a new duty that will be levied on the liquid in vapes, in an attempt to deter younger people from taking up vaping.
Former Director for Public Health for the North West, John Ashton belives its a step in the right direction: "We've not got maybe as many as 20% of teenagers who are vaping, and vaping large amounts of nicotine with these cheap disposable vapes that are available over the counter.
"We just don't know the long term effects of them that is the problem."
He added: "I've been looking over the weekend at some of the reports coming out from the United States, and they are being expressing much more concern over what is being said in this country about vapes.
"The bottom line is that if the chancellor starts to tax vapes on Wednesday then that is a good move.
"I think those who make money out of addictive substances should not be listened to very seriously.
"They are making money and its going in their bank accounts, what we have to do is keep lined up with the science."
The proposed measures are being labelled by one UK-based vaping company as ‘politically motivated’ and damaging to ‘best quit-smoking tool available in the UK’.
Sales director at Riot Labs, Matt Crann, believes the Government’s actions will become a massive barrier for people who turn to vaping to help to quit smoking, adding ‘Like most things with this Government, there's lots of big words but a real lack of clarity.
“There's absolutely no justification for a vape tax and it stinks of being politically motivated. Where is the cash raised planned to go? All it achieves is making the best quit-smoking tool available in the UK - and backed by PHE - less accessible to adult smokers wanting or have already, quit.
“Smoking remains the single greatest cause of preventable illness and premature death in the UK. It kills over 120,000 people a year - more than 13 people an hour. E-cigarettes have a proven track record of getting people off of cigarettes and on the path to quitting. For a vape sector that has already been battered by this Government in recent weeks with nonsensical policy decisions on disposables, this is another fight Riot Labs is willing to take to them and represent our responsible retail partners across the industry.”
Treasury analysis suggests the new vaping tax, along with the rise in tobacco duty, could eventually raise around £500m a year.