An article published last week on World Vape News said that About it All Vapors, is the latest vape shop to close down in York County, Hanover. After a 40% tax was implemented on vaping products last October in the state of Pennsylvania, like many other business owners, Tony Myers was left with no other option but to close his shop.
Tony Myers said that he had opened About it All Vapors to help fund a special program he conducted via his businesses, by employing people with special-needs and teaching them responsibility. “I never asked for any help from the state to subsidize the employment, I wanted to get them off the umbrella of the state who deems them worthless.” added Myers.
A tax aimed to take everyone out of business?
“This 40 percent tax is a cancer, it needs a second opinion, and it needed it yesterday,” said John Dietz, vice president of the Pennsylvania Vape Association, on the organization’s website, whilst warning that there might be no industry in as little as a year from now, unless something is done.
Enter HB 2342
Several local lawmakers agreed that the tax is unreasonable and asked for the compromise bill to be passed. Bill (HB 2342) was put forward by Rep. Jeff Wheeland and Sen. Camera Bartolotta, and would replace the 40 percent tax with a five-cents-per-milliliter e-liquid tax.
Additionally both pointed out that the expected revenue to the state will fall considerably short of the projected $13.3 million because of the significant amount of vape shop closures, and Bartolotta warned “more will likely follow suit” if the tax remains unchanged.
Local vape shop owners approve of the measure proposed by Wheeland and Bartolotta and consider it as a significant improvement. Ace of Vapes owner Brandon Mueller said the proposed tax would be a vast improvement. “We prefer no tax, but we can work with this one,” said Mueller.
