Campaigners reject Ireland’s tax rise on vape products – Vapor Voice

Campaigners are criticizing the Irish government’s decision to increase duty on a pack of 20 cigarettes by €1 ($1.11) from October 2.

The increase, which is double the usual increase of €0.50, will push the cost of a pack of 20 cigarettes in the most popular price category above €18, it said. The Journal.

Simon Clark, director of the Freedom Organization for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco (Forest), described the decision as “brutal” and said law-abiding smokers were being “discriminated against”.

“Smoking is a legitimate habit,” says Clark. “This brutal increase in the price of cigarettes will drive more smokers to the black market and fuel the illegal trade.

“Law-abiding consumers, many of whom have low incomes, will be unfairly discriminated against, and some may be pushed further into poverty.

“It is difficult to imagine a more punitive or counterproductive measure because the only people who will benefit from this are criminal gangs and illegal traffickers.”

In addition to the cigarette tax increase, Ireland plans to introduce a tax on e-cigarettes from the middle of next year. The excise tax charges e-liquid at a rate of €0.50 per milliliter.

The average disposable e-cigarette contains 2 ml of e-liquid and costs €8. With the introduction of the new tax, the costs will increase to €9.23.

Finance Minister Jack Chambers said it was not possible to introduce the fee this year due to operational and administrative challenges.

Lobby group Respect Vapers has accused politicians of trying to “raise money for vapes instead of helping people use vapes to quit smoking.”

The group pointed to a recent report from Healthy Ireland, which found that 25 percent of smokers who quit had used vapes, and other studies showing that the number of smokers in Ireland has fallen dramatically in recent years.