2024-01-02 10:30:09
A new tax will also be introduced on liquids, whether or not they contain nicotine, intended for electronic cigarettes. It will be set at 0.15 euros per milliliter, thus leading to an increase of 1.5 euros for a 10 ml bottle and 16.5 euros for a 100 ml bottle. Some criticize this new tax, arguing that the electronic cigarette is a substitute, an alternative, and that a tax as high as that of tobacco would be equivalent to eliminating a solution for quitting smoking from the market.
In response to these statements, our tobacco specialist states three points: “First of all, you described the electronic cigarette as a tobacco product. Let me emphasize once more that this product is not sold in pharmacies, but in the same points of sale as rolling tobacco and smoking tobacco. It therefore seems consistent to apply the same taxes and excise duties to all tobacco products. This is the first consideration. Next, it is important to note that the vast majority of electronic cigarette consumers are young people. To a certain extent, this might even represent an opportunity for young people who might not have started smoking traditional cigarettes. And third, it is claimed that it is also significantly less harmful, which is partly true.“
For Martial Bodo, this increase is however completely justified: “It therefore seems right to me that the tax and excise duties be restored to levels comparable to those of so-called classic cigarettes. As for the effectiveness in quitting smoking, of course, for some it will be a way out. However, all too often this is due to the maintenance of the behavioral and psycho-emotional aspect which surprisingly resembles that of the classic cigarette.“
Increasing the price of tobacco is among the six best actions to combat smoking according to theWorld Health Organization. According to Cancer Foundation, 24% of the population smokes in Belgium, including 19% daily (at a rate of around 14 cigarettes per day according to figures dating from 2022). However, smoking is the leading preventable cause of cancer.
Every day, nearly 40 Belgians (14,000 people per year) die from smoking. Not to mention the 300,000 Belgians who suffer from tobacco-related illnesses.
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