Details of the Government's newly-announced vaping crackdown may keep New Zealanders smoking and paying exorbitant excise taxes, says the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union.

Taxpayers' Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, "We welcome the decision not to apply excise tax to vaping products. But the details of this regulation will prevent many smokers from making the switch and reaping the financial rewards."

"Especially concerning is the crackdown on displays and flavoured liquids at service stations and supermarkets. When a smoker walks into a dairy to buy their daily pack of smokes, this is precisely when they should be able to see other options. That should include flavoured liquids."

"Advertising restrictions should include an exemption for communicating the fact that vaping is at least 95 per cent less harmful than smoking."

"The select committee process for this bill will be crucial for ex-smokers to share stories of how flavoured vapes and point-of-sale displays got them off the smokes."

"Regulation should be laser-focused at preventing children from accessing nicotine. As the bill is currently written, it errs too far on the side of protecting the government's revenue stream from current smokers."

ENDS

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