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Tag: tax

  • Philippines to Align Cigarette and Vape Taxes 

    Philippines to Align Cigarette and Vape Taxes 

    The Philippines’ Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said it plans to balance taxes on vape products and traditional cigarettes this year to boost collection. It currently charges P63 ($1.07) in taxes per pack of 20 cigarettes and for every 10 ml of classic nicotine liquids, but other vape devices are charged higher at P109.20 ($1.86) for 2 ml salt nicotine pods. From January to November 2024, the government collected P128.98 billion ($2.2 billion) in taxes from tobacco and P1.35 billion ($23 million) from vape products.

    BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. said that aligning tax rates for both products is a priority for the BIR to maximize collections from the tobacco and vape industries. “I think it will happen this year,” he said. “There will be an improvement, and the drag down of excise taxes on tobacco and vape will not be that big.”

    Lumagui also said the BIR will be destroying confiscated cigarettes nationwide, with vape products to be destroyed once they are inventoried.

  • U.K.: Levies for Vapes to be Unveiled in March

    U.K.: Levies for Vapes to be Unveiled in March

    Credit: TR Archive

    A new tax will hit vapers in the United Kingdom despite warnings it will punish people who have switched to e-cigarettes after quitting smoking.

    The plans for the levy, which will likely increase the cost of vaping liquid by at least a quarter, will be unveiled in the Budget in March.

    A government source told The Mirror it was now almost inevitable that a tax on vaping will be introduced as part of the Spring Budget, which Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will announce on March 6.

    Ministers are looking to copy European countries such as Germany and Italy that already have levies on vapes.

    A 10ml bottle of e-liquid, which a typical vaper would get through in a week, costs around £4 at present. In Germany, a £1.40 vape tax is slapped on 10ml bottles, with plans to double this to £2.80 in 2026.

    Italy, which in 2014 became the first country to tax e-cigarette fluid, charges a £1.10 levy on 10ml bottles.