Heated tax call

The Irish government has been urged to tax heat-not-burn (HNB) products at the highest rate imposed on tobacco products, according to a story by John Downing for the independent.ie.
Colm Brophy, a Fine Gael member of Ireland’s lower house of parliament, has called for these products to be taxed at the same rate as is imposed on combustible cigarettes, once they are introduced to Ireland.
“Heated cigarettes are the latest gimmick from the tobacco industry,” he said. “Rolls of tobacco are heated and smoked after insertion into an electronic device,” he claimed.
“They are being marketed at young people and it is expected that tobacco companies will introduce heated cigarettes to Ireland in the very near future.
“At the moment, there is no common EU definition on taxation of heated cigarettes.
“That is why Ireland should put in an additional stand-alone category of taxation for heated cigarette products …,” he said.
Brophy said such a tax rate would protect government revenues.
“The State should not be ‘subventing’ the profits of tobacco companies by giving them lower taxation rates on this product, such as the lower rates of tax on other tobacco products, including rolling tobacco and pipe tobacco,” he added.