EXCLUSIVE: Spain to block Tobacco Tax Directive, calling for lower rates on rolling tobacco.
Spain’s demand for a lower tax rate on rolling tobacco threatens agreement on the EU’s proposed tobacco tax directive.
Policy
Policy reporting, proposals and decisions, with their recorded status and country context.
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Ireland’s vape flavour ban advances despite warnings it could send ex-smokers back to cigarettes
Ireland’s vape flavour crackdown has cleared its final Seanad hurdle despite warnings it could drive former smokers back to cigarettes and force independent shops to shut.
German tax blunder leaves vape duty missing in action
Germany’s finance ministry has managed an unusual feat: trying to raise tobacco taxes while apparently deleting the current tax rate for vape liquids.
Canadian campaigners want lifetime sales ban on vapes for next generation
Canadian health campaigners are pushing for a lifetime ban on tobacco and vape sales to the next generation, extending restrictions to products that can help smokers quit.
Don’t shut off smokers’ escape route, Labour MPs warn ministers
Labour MPs have urged ministers to protect vaping as a route out of smoking, as the Government targets 1 June 2027 for a UK-wide advertising ban.
French vapers face fresh tax threat as MPs battle over nicotine rules
French MPs have revived plans to tax vape liquids, putting consumers back in the firing line just weeks after the government left vaping out of its draft budget.
A story of two consultations: picking apart the Commission’s summary report
Peter Beckett examines what the European Commission’s summary of its nicotine consultations leaves out — and why the design of the questions matters.
New Zealand smokers turn to nicotine pouches despite sales ban
Nicotine pouch use has risen among smokers surveyed in New Zealand, with some using the products to quit cigarettes or cut down despite restrictions on sales.
Ireland to increase vape tax by 40 per cent from January
Ireland will raise its tax on vape liquids by 40 per cent from January, adding another €2 in duty to a 10ml refill bottle before VAT.
INVESTIGATION: Who’s behind the anti-nicotine propaganda?
Pharmaceutical companies selling costly treatments for smoking-related diseases also fund organisations campaigning for tighter restrictions on safer nicotine products. Peter examines whether those relationships deserve closer scrutiny.
UK smoking falls below one in 10 ahead of nicotine pouch age restrictions
Smoking among UK adults fell below one in 10 in 2025, official figures show, as retailers prepare for new restrictions on sales of nicotine pouches and vaping products.
French vapers get budget reprieve as new tax left out of initial draft
French vapers and businesses have been given a temporary reprieve after the initial draft of the country’s 2027 budget left out any new tax on e-liquids.