France is set to increase tax on e-liquids by a whopping 38 per cent, according to a leading French vape awareness organisation.
FiVape says there is an imminent plan by the French government to add a flat-rate tax of €0.15 per millilitre of e-liquid, whether it contains nicotine or not.
The organisation warns that the new law will put lives at risk by making vaping too expensive for smokers wanting to quit.
“Vaping has been the number one tool to help people quit smoking for over 10 years,” FiVape said in a statement. “Its impact is unprecedented and historic..
“Taxing e-liquids means taxing the No. 1 tool for helping people quit smoking. In terms of public health, this is a policy that runs counter to all health logic, which disregards the experience and tangible results obtained by vaping over the last 10 years.”
FiVape, which represents independent vape companies in France, says the move is a direct result of tobacco giants lobbying the government in a bid to curb the rising popularity of vaping as an alternative to smoking.
It said: “In France, vaping has caused the tobacco industry to lose at least four million ‘customers’. Faced with this haemorrhage, cigarette companies are pulling out all the stops with their hundreds of lobbyists and their highly sophisticated methods of influence to slow the rise of vaping.
“Since 2019, they have already managed to stop the steep decline in smoking prevalence in France.”
Independent vape firms hit hardest
The proposed law would mean the prices of a 10 ml and 50 ml e-liquid - the standard sizes for rechargeable vapes - would increase by 25 per cent and 38 per cent respectively. Meanwhile, disposable vapes (which are set to be banned in France) would increase by 7.5 per cent as they contain only 2 ml.
The legislation would have little impact on the tobacco industry as it holds just 15 per cent of the vaping market, according to FiVape.
“It positions itself by offering only closed system products: single-use puffs or cartridges,” said FiVape. “Its objective is to impose these closed systems to the detriment of open vaping, which requires advice and expertise and allows for better results in the field of smoking cessation.
“Worse, it will benefit them even though the legislator wanted to get rid of them [disposable vapes] via a dedicated law... Taxing vaping as Big Tobacco wants: a health, ecological and ethical scandal.
“..Responding so blindly to the will of the tobacco industry is incomprehensible:
Playing on the price of the most popular method of quitting smoking in France runs the risk of discouraging smokers who are trying to quit.
“Let us remember that the savings made by switching to vaping are the main reason why smokers decide to quit.”
