Wagner's members' bill welcomed

3 APRIL 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming Hon Nicky Wagner's introduction of a private members’ bill to Parliament’s ballot that would legalise the sale of nicotine e-cigarettes.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Louis Houlbrooke says, “For too long, smokers have been taxed to the hilt while also being denied access to healthier alternatives like nicotine e-cigarettes.”

“The current law is a joke, with many retailers openly flouting it. Nicky Wagner’s bill is a common-sense acknowledgement of the fact that many thousands of former smokers are successfully using e-cigarettes to kick their habit.”

“It remains unclear why the current Government has put e-cigarette legalisation on hold. One theory is that they are so addicted to tobacco tax revenue that they don’t actually want to help smokers quit.”

“The Government could disprove this accusation by adopting Wagner’s bill as Government policy today.”

The Taxpayers' Union recently released a report on the failure of the current excise-focused approach to tobacco, available at www.taxpayers.org.nz/up_in_smoke.

ENDS

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