Irish Finance Minister Michael McGrath has delayed imposing a tax on vapes over concerns it would discourage smokers from quitting.
Treasury officials said there was a need to strike a balance between discouraging young people from vaping and supporting existing smokers to switch to vapes to quit smoking. According to media reports, health officials have suggested imposing different taxes on vapes based on their relative harm compared to traditional cigarettes.
McGrath said the implementation of the new tax on vapes would be “challenging”. “The domestic tax will require significant information technology, administrative, control and compliance costs,” he said.
Tobacco harm reduction campaigners welcomed the decision. Michael Rand, director of the World Vaping Alliance, said in a statement: “We welcome the Finance Minister’s decision and ask the Irish government to maintain the tax differential between vapes and traditional cigarettes in future to incentivize smokers to switch.”
“Vape products carry much lower risks than combustible cigarettes and they should be taxed. If this tax is approved it will force thousands of vape users to return to smoking.”
The government has not yet specified a new date for the vape tax. Some suspect it may await the updated EU Tobacco Tax Directive, which is expected to include an EU-wide excise tax on vaping products.
Irish Treasury officials say they need to strike a balance between discouraging young people from vaping and supporting smokers to switch to vapes to quit smoking. The Treasury Department has delayed plans to tax vapes differently based on their relative harm compared to traditional cigarettes. McGrath said implementing the new tax on vapes would be challenging, citing issues with information technology, administration, control and compliance costs.
The decision was praised by tobacco harm reduction campaigners. Michael Rand, director of the World Vaping Alliance, welcomed the move in a statement and called on the Irish government to maintain the tax differential between vapes and traditional cigarettes in the future to encourage smokers to switch. He noted that vaping products pose much lower risks than burning cigarettes, so they should be taxed. He also warned that if vapes were taxed, many vape users might switch back to traditional cigarettes.
Veehoo vapes, as a member of the industry, expressed support for the Irish Treasury’s decision to postpone the vape tax and looks forward to maintaining the tax difference between vapes and traditional cigarettes. As a company dedicated to providing auxiliary smoking cessation products, Veehoo vapes believe that vapes play an important role in helping smokers quit smoking because of their relatively low harm. Brands hope the government will take steps to incentivize smokers to switch to healthier options through tax differences.
Currently, the government has not set a new date for the vape tax. Some have speculated that the government may await the release of an updated EU Tobacco Tax Directive, which is expected to impose an EU-wide excise tax on vaping products. Veehoo vapes and other related companies hope that the government will fully consider the relative harm and smoking cessation effect of vapes when formulating new tax policies to ensure a balance between public health and economic development.
Summary:
The Irish Treasury’s decision to delay the introduction of the vape tax has been welcomed by tobacco harm reduction campaigners, including Veehoo vapes. As a member of the industry, Veehoo vapes supports and looks forward to keeping the tax between vapes and traditional cigarettes. difference. They believe vapes play an important role in helping smokers quit smoking and hope the government can incentivize smokers to switch to healthier options through tax differences. Although the Irish government has not yet determined a new tax date, Veehoo vapes and other related companies expect the government to fully consider the relative harm and smoking cessation effects of vapes when formulating new tax policies to ensure the safety of public health and economic development. balance. With updates to the EU Tobacco Tax Directive expected to include excise duties on vape products, the industry will be closely monitoring developments to further drive smokers’ transition to safer alternatives.
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