A report published earlier this year in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, had discussed the German Federal Ministry of Finance plans to increase the current tax on tobacco products and extend it to include e-cigarettes, which had so far been exempt.
Sadly, the measure setting in place these changes was approved earlier this month. As a result, e-cigarette prices will rise sharply, affecting consumers and possibly putting them off the idea of switching from smoking to vaping in order to quit smoking and/or reduce harm.
WVA Director Michael Landl, said that Germany should follow the lead of countries that have had success with tobacco harm reduction. “Anyone who seriously wants to reduce the damage to public health caused by smoking has to make access to vaping products easier, not more difficult. Vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking and is recommended by health authorities in the United Kingdom, France and Canada for smoking cessation. Germany should follow the lead of these countries instead of starting a war on vapes. Vaping can improve the lives of many smokers and therefore these products must continue to be affordable. A relapse of up to two million vapers to cigarette consumption would have fatal effects on public health.”
The Tobacco Tax Modernization Act
Meanwhile, ECigIntelligence has reported that representatives of the German vape industry have met government officials to clarify the details of the Tobacco Tax Modernization Act, expected to come into force on 1st July 2022. However, despite meeting officials from the Ministry of Finance and the German Customs to discuss the tax, the BfTG revealed that it still intends to register a complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court, on grounds that the tax is “disproportionate.”
