Govt Starting to Listen on E-Cigarettes
Govt Starting to Listen on E-Cigarettes
2 AUGUST 2016
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the release of the Government’s consultation paper on the legalisation of the sale of e-cigarettes containing nicotine. The pressure group’s Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says:
“This is something we have been campaigning for as e-cigarettes provide a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes and mean smokers are not forced to be the Government’s cash cows. Right now excise taxes are estimated by Treasury to be more three times the actual costs to the health system caused by smoking.”
“Last year the Government took in a record $1.5 billion in tobacco excise tax, more than three and a half times the Government’s current surplus. Most of that money comes from the very people who can least afford it. If e-cigarettes result in the poor paying less tax, and having better health outcomes, then legalisation is a no-brainer.”
The Taxpayers’ Union’s report on smoking taxes, which includes an examination of the merits of e-cigarettes, is available here.
ENDS