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Tag: vape

  • China to End Export VAT Rebates for Vape Products

    China to End Export VAT Rebates for Vape Products

    China will end value-added tax (VAT) export rebates for specified electronic cigarette devices, nicotine, nicotine salts, and certain other inhalation products effective April 1, 2027, under a policy announced by the Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration. The measure affects designated product categories and customs codes.

    The change could increase export costs for Chinese manufacturers and suppliers serving international vaping and nicotine markets by eliminating rebates previously available on eligible exports. The impact will depend on the products covered, manufacturers’ cost structures, and their ability to adjust pricing or supply chains.

  • UK Smoking Rate Falls as Vaping Remains More Common

    UK Smoking Rate Falls as Vaping Remains More Common

    The UK’s adult smoking rate fell to a record-low 9.8% in 2025 from 10.6% in 2024, with about 4.9 million people aged 18 and over reporting that they smoked, according to data released Oct. 6 by the Office for National Statistics. In Great Britain, 5.4 million adults, or 9.9% of those aged 16 and over, reported using e-cigarettes daily or occasionally, compared with 4.8 million current smokers, continuing a trend that began in 2024 when vaping overtook smoking. E-cigarette use was highest among 25- to 34-year-olds, at 16.4%.

    John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association, said the figures demonstrate the role vaping is playing in reducing smoking but criticized government policies, including the Vaping Products Duty that took effect Oct. 1. Dunne cited UKVIA research showing 50% of surveyed vapers feared the duty could push them back to smoking or the black market, while industry-backed analysis estimated 946,000 vapers and dual users could switch exclusively to smoking. He called for a “Fair Deal for Vaping” that protects young people while maintaining access to vaping products for adult smokers seeking to quit.

  • Ireland to Raise Tobacco and Vape Duties

    Ireland to Raise Tobacco and Vape Duties

    Ireland will increase excise duty on a pack of 20 cigarettes by €1 and raise the duty on e-liquid products by 20 cents per milliliter from Jan. 1, 2027, Finance Minister Simon Harris announced today (Oct. 6) as part of Budget 2027. The vape-duty increase will add €2 to the cost of a 10ml bottle. The Asthma Society welcomed the measures, while Retailers Against Smuggling warned the higher tobacco tax could push consumers toward the illicit market.

    Responsible Vaping Ireland said the e-liquid tax increase will add pressure to retailers already facing higher operating costs and could make regulated vaping products less competitive with illegal alternatives. The group also argued that tax policy should support smokers seeking alternatives, noting that more than 23,000 adults have quit smoking with the help of vaping products.

  • South Korea Sees Surge in Nicotine-Free Vape Imports

    South Korea Sees Surge in Nicotine-Free Vape Imports

    Imports of nicotine-free e-cigarette liquid in South Korea more than doubled to $9.2 million in the first eight months of 2026 from $4.5 million a year earlier, as consumers shifted toward products that remain outside the country’s tobacco regulations. The increase follows an April amendment to the Tobacco Business Act that brought products containing natural or synthetic nicotine under the tobacco regulatory framework, while nicotine analogues and nicotine-free liquids remain largely unregulated.

    Online listings for liquid e-cigarettes also increased 86.3% to 42,437 as of Aug. 8 from 22,774 before the law took effect, according to the Korea Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. Meanwhile, imports of synthetic nicotine liquid plunged 97% to $2.8 million from May through August, compared with $89.3 million in the first four months of the year. Government officials are considering broader regulation after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety completes an assessment of nicotine analogues by the end of 2026.

  • UK Vaping Duty Takes Effect

    UK Vaping Duty Takes Effect

    The UK’s new Vaping Products Duty took effect today (Oct. 1), imposing an excise duty of £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid, including nicotine-free products, while a new vaping duty-stamp scheme is being phased in to improve supply-chain traceability and help combat illicit trade. Manufacturers, importers, and warehousekeepers are responsible for the duty, with existing unstamped inventory eligible to be sold through March 31, 2027. From April 1, 2027, all vaping products sold in the UK must carry a valid duty stamp. Retailers caught selling unstamped products after the grace period could face significant penalties. HMRC can seize non-compliant stock and issue fines of up to £10,000, with penalties increasing for repeat offences. In the most serious cases, businesses could also face criminal investigation, an unlimited fine or imprisonment.

    The government said the measures are intended to reduce vaping’s affordability and appeal, particularly among young people and nonsmokers, while tobacco duty is also increasing by an additional £2.20 per 100 cigarettes or 50 grams of tobacco on top of the existing duty escalator.

    The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) criticized the new duty, with Director General John Dunne calling it a public-health tax and arguing that higher prices could push some consumers toward smoking or illicit products. UKVIA cited its survey of nearly 3,500 adult vapers, which it said found about half would consider returning to smoking or the black market following the duty. Separately, Haypp’s Head of External Affairs UK and Scientific Affairs, Dr. Marina Murphy, said retailers face additional compliance requirements, including managing unstamped inventory, maintaining records, and ensuring new stock carries the required stamps.

    The government said the duty is expected to raise more than £550 million annually by 2030-31 and is providing £30 million a year through 2028-29 for Trading Standards, Border Force, and HMRC to tackle illicit and underage sales of tobacco and vapes.

  • BAT Urges UK Retailers to Respond to Nicotine-Product Consultation

    BAT Urges UK Retailers to Respond to Nicotine-Product Consultation

    British American Tobacco continues to urge UK retailers to respond to the government’s consultation on proposed changes to the packaging, appearance, display, and marketing of tobacco and vape products before it closes Oct. 2. BAT UK and Ireland Commercial Director Tolga Kilic said retailers’ experience should inform the final regulations and urged them to highlight potential operational and financial impacts.

    Kilic cited the government’s impact assessment, which estimates vape retailers could face more than £420 million in cumulative lost profits through 2036 from proposed point-of-sale display restrictions. The consultation also covers product packaging, flavor descriptions, and other measures affecting the sale and presentation of nicotine products.

  • VTA Launches Ad Campaign on Vaping Regs

    VTA Launches Ad Campaign on Vaping Regs

    The Vapor Technology Association (VTA) launched a seven-figure cable, broadcast, and digital advertising campaign urging President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to replace the FDA’s current Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) framework with what the trade group describes as clear, science-based guidance for vapor products. The campaign is running on Fox News programming, Truth Social, and X. VTA said the campaign cites a poll showing 71% support for replacing the current PMTA rules with scientific guidelines.

    VTA said the campaign follows an August 2026 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit involving the FDA’s PMTA process. VTA Executive Director Tony Abboud said the proposed framework would provide clearer requirements for manufacturers while strengthening enforcement against noncompliant products.

  • Taiwan to Raise Penalties for Bringing in E-cigarettes

    Taiwan to Raise Penalties for Bringing in E-cigarettes

    Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance announced plans to raise penalties for illegally bringing e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and related components into the country. Amendments to customs anti-smuggling rules will remove the existing exemption from fines for tobacco-related products with a customs value of NT$5,000 ($160) or less, while fines for violations involving these products will be higher than those for most other controlled goods.

    Customs data show 1,346 e-cigarette seizures last year involving about 120,000 devices and 33,000 bottles or cartridges of e-liquid. In the first eight months of 2026, authorities recorded 726 cases involving 35,000 devices and 40,000 bottles or cartridges of e-liquid. Seized products will be confiscated, and individuals may be referred to local health bureaus, which can impose fines of at least NT$50,000 ($1,600) under Taiwan’s Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act.

  • PMI to Launch VEEV E-Vapor Product in South Korea

    PMI to Launch VEEV E-Vapor Product in South Korea

    Philip Morris Korea announced that it will launch its VEEV e-vapor product in South Korea on Aug. 26 as the company expands its smoke-free portfolio in the country. KT&G currently leads South Korea’s non-combustible tobacco segment with a 48% market share, followed by Philip Morris and British American Tobacco.

    Philip Morris International said 42% of its $11 billion in second-quarter revenue came from smoke-free products. The company has invested 22.5 trillion won ($16 billion) in research and development for smoke-free products since 2008 and is targeting a two-thirds share of sales from smoke-free products by 2030.

    PMI Korea consumer experience director Kim Tae-hyung said the company ultimately aims to replace combustible cigarettes with smoke-free products.

  • Ireland’s HSE Warns of Risks from Unregulated Vapes

    Ireland’s HSE Warns of Risks from Unregulated Vapes

    Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) warned that a lack of regulation of vapes and edibles is putting consumers, particularly teenagers, at risk after high-risk synthetic cannabinoids were detected in products sold in the country. Testing by the HSE’s Emerging Drug Trends laboratory found synthetic or semisynthetic cannabinoids in some nicotine and CBD products that had been tampered with. Of 76 vapes tested, 28 contained HHC, a semisynthetic cannabinoid banned in Ireland last year. Acetate was detected in 13% of tested vapes and, when combined with synthetic or semisynthetic cannabinoids, has been associated with lung damage.

    The HSE said large-scale testing would require a significant budget and called for the HSE, Department of Health, Food Safety Authority of Ireland and other stakeholders to establish a regulatory framework. Current testing largely relies on samples collected through festivals, addiction services and hospitals, while forensic laboratory testing can take six to eight months.