“Irish Vape Vendors Association welcome the fact that Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe has decided NOT to add extra tax / excise duty to e-cigarettes and e-liquid in yesterdays Budget 2020.
“This is a very good measure for Public Health in that it helps to keep vaping for smokers affordable, and in turn helps encourage smokers to make the switch to vaping, a much safer alternative. “
In a statement, an IHF spokesperson welcomed the cigarette tax increase but expressed his disappointment that vape products were spared.
Chris Macey, Head of Advocacy with the Irish Heart Foundation, said,
“The Programme for Government was explicit in the role of a targeted taxation regime to specifically discourage vaping and e-cigarettes, and there is clear evidence that tax increases on e-cigarettes are effective in reducing youth use.”
Macey previously said that over a fifth of teenagers in Ireland had used e-cigarettes.
He also expressed his scepticism over the claim the industry targeted products at adult, long-term smokers.
The IHF spokesperson argued that ‘branding that features cartoon characters, flavours such as candyfloss and bubblegum and aggressive marketing tactics on social media platforms used by teenagers show this claim is preposterous.’
Caroline Barry is an experienced journalist across multiple sectors and hails from Clonakilty in Ireland. Her journalism focuses on CBD, medical cannabis, vaping, LGBT+ rights and culture. She is currently working on her first non-fiction book about growing up gay with ADHD in rural Ireland. Caroline is currently based in Nottingham, England with her small black cat.
