15 EU countries, including Germany & France, urge European Commission to update tobacco tax laws, impose vape levy & raise cigarette excise.
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South Africa’s Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has confirmed increases in excise duties on tobacco and vaping products in the latest iteration of the budget, dubbed “Budget 3.0,” presented on May 21, 2025. While a controversial VAT hike was scrapped, consumers of cigarettes and alternative nicotine products like vapes will face higher prices.
Read moreA top official from the Philippines’ Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has advocated for imposing significantly higher excise taxes on vape products compared to traditional cigarettes. During a Senate Committee on Ways and Means hearing, BIR Assistant Commissioner Jethro Sabariaga argued that while cigarettes and heated-tobacco products could be taxed similarly, vape products warrant a much steeper levy.
Read moreSenator Gatchalian pushes higher vape/tobacco taxes to curb youth use & smuggling, while health advocates oppose HB 11360’s broader impact.
Read more22% Q1 Drop Attributed to Anticipatory Effects of New PLN 40 Levy and Increased Enforcement
Sales of disposable e-cigarettes in Poland have already seen a significant 22% year-on-year decline in the first quarter of 2025, even before a substantial new excise tax takes effect on July 1st. This anticipatory drop is being attributed to the Polish Ministry of Finance’s new fiscal policy, which will impose a PLN 40 (approx. €9-10) excise duty on liquids used in single-use vapes, potentially increasing their retail price by several dozen percent.
Read moreConcerns raised in South Korea over lower taxes on solid-form e-cigarettes compared to liquid types, prompting calls for tax system reform for fairness.
A significant difference in taxation standards based on product structure persists in South Korea’s e-cigarette market, leading to debates over fairness and calls for regulatory reform. Specifically, products using nicotine in solid form are subject to much lower tax rates compared to their liquid-based counterparts.
Tobacco Control Center Calls for Tax System Revision
The Tobacco Regulation Research and Education Center highlighted this issue on the 13th, stating that solid-form e-cigarettes are in a tax blind spot and urging an overhaul of the current taxation method. Currently, liquid-type e-cigarettes, where nicotine-infused liquid is absorbed by cotton, are taxed based on the total volume of the nicotine-containing liquid (approx. 628 KRW per 1ml). In contrast, solid-type products, which use solid nicotine with a non-nicotine liquid, are taxed based only on the weight of the solid nicotine, regardless of the liquid volume. This results in a significantly lower tax (e.g., approx. 70 KRW for a 2ml liquid/0.8g solid product).
Experts point out that this discrepancy means consumers pay vastly different taxes for similar nicotine consumption, creating an unfair advantage for certain products and potentially serving as a tax avoidance method. While the government is discussing overhauling the tax system for new tobacco products, including synthetic nicotine, critics argue that detailed measures for solid-type e-cigarettes are lacking. Lee Sung-kyu, head of the Center, emphasized that tobacco taxation is directly linked to health policy and the current system could undermine fairness and policy trust.
Experts at ISSA 2025 call for Indonesia to differentiate tax & regulation for vapes/nicotine pouches from traditional cigarettes.
International experts are urging the Indonesian government to refine its regulatory and tax policies for alternative nicotine products like vapes and nicotine pouches, advocating for a risk-proportionate approach that differentiates them from more harmful conventional cigarettes. While praising Indonesia for allowing these products, unlike some neighboring countries, concerns were raised about current tax equivalency with traditional tobacco.
Read moreColombian health organizations criticize tobacco/vape industry presence in congressional panel discussing new tax bill, citing WHO FCTC.
Civil society organizations Fundación Anáas and Red PaPaz have criticized the composition of a technical panel in Colombia’s Congress convened to discuss bills updating taxes on tobacco and vaping products. They allege a “lack of balance” due to the prominent presence of tobacco and vape industry representatives, including major companies like British American Tobacco and Philip Morris, alongside groups such as the World Vapers’ Alliance.
Read moreCustoms investigators in Hamburg, Germany, have dismantled a significant illegal e-cigarette operation, seizing nearly 3,000 liters of illicit vape liquid and preventing an estimated €730,000 in tax losses. Officials announced the successful raid on Wednesday, confirming the provisional arrest of four suspects linked to gang-related tax evasion.
Read moreThe Louisiana House Ways and Means Committee has taken a split stance on tobacco taxation, approving a bill to increase the state tax on vapes and e-cigarettes while rejecting a proposal to raise the tax on traditional cigarettes. The vote against the cigarette tax hike was 7-4, while the legislation to increase the tax on vapes and e-cigarettes, sponsored by Vacherie Representative Ken Brass, passed with a 9-6 vote.
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