New ‘Clear the Air’ campaign launched for sensible regulation of smoke-free products

31 MAY 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is marking World Smokefree Day by launching 'Clear the Air' - a campaign and website for sensible regulation and zero excise tax on alternative nicotine products.

Taxpayers' Union staffer and spokesperson for the Clear the Air campaign, Louis Houlbrooke, says, "If New Zealand smokers all switched to less harmful products, they would receive a tax cut equivalent to nearly $2 billion, and around 5,000 lives per year could be saved from smoking related deaths."

"Unfortunately, from June 6 the Ministry of Health is set to apply outdated cigarette laws to these new products and is even considering taxing them in the same way as smoking. If they do, smokers will be less inclined to make the switch to healthier products – it would be the Government putting cash ahead of lives."

"Tobacco tax is extremely regressive. Getting low-socioeconomic communities to give up the fags and shift to alternatives like vaping is a win-win. This campaign is designed to get the Government out of the way for that to happen."

"Similarly, applying cigarette-style plain packaging and health warnings to products like e-cigarettes and heat-not-burns will only make switching away from smoking less attractive. That means smokers will continue to endanger their lives and keep getting hammered with punitive taxes."

"We've launched cleartheair.nz to explain the challenges posed by cigarette-style taxes and advertising rules, with a tool making it easy for New Zealanders to email their local MP on the issue."

"With the Ministry of Health currently reviewing tobacco policies, and Nicky Wagner having introduced a private members' bill on e-cigarette regulations, we have the chance to overturn counter-productive rules and replace them with a sensible, life-saving regulatory regime."

ENDS

© Scoop Media