Huge Win For Smokers Wanting To Kick The Habit (And Save)
MEDIA RELEASE
Huge Win For Smokers Wanting
To Kick The Habit (AND Save
Money)
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
29 MARCH 2017
The
Taxpayers’ Union
is welcoming today's announcement by
the Associate Minister of Health, Nicky Wagner, that the
sale of nicotine e-cigarettes will be made
legal.
Jordan Williams, the Executive Director of the Taxpayers’ Union, says, “This is a huge win for smokers, who will now have a much healthier alternative, and a proven pathway to kick the habit.”
“Tobacco taxes are extremely regressive, and have, counterintuitively, had the least impact on consummation among the lowest socioeconomic groups. That means that people are going without, because of the Government's persistent excise tax hikes."
"Today's announcement means that low-income New Zealanders now have a much healthier and cheaper alternative to smoking.”
“E-cigarettes are the most popular smoking cessation tool used in Britain, and the Government’s sluggish approach until now have left an impression that the taxes brought in through traditional cigarettes sales were a factor.”
Minister Wagner’s office confirmed to the Taxpayers’ Union earlier today that the Government does not intend to put excise tax on e-cigarette sales.
The Taxpayers' Union report published last year, Passive Income: How the Government uses smokers as cash cows, which called for the legalisation of e-cigarettes, is available at: http://www.taxpayers.org.
ENDS