South Africa’s new vaping tax won’t deter young smokers
August 03, 2023 by theconversation.com
South Africa’s new vaping tax won’t deter young smokers
Throughout the world, governments impose excise taxes on products like alcohol and tobacco to reduce their demand. The South African government has implemented a tax on vaping products for the same reason. Reducing demand is necessary as there is growing evidence that vaping products are not harmless. The new vaping tax has enraged vaping lobby groups and vaping manufacturers. The vaping industry argues that e-cigarettes are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. It also claims that the tax will spawn an illicit industry, that people will go back to smoking traditional cigarettes, and the tax will not dissuade the youth from starting vaping.
20.20% of the adult population are current smokers. There are approximately 8.3 million current smokers in South Africa 34.60% of men are current smokers but only 6.50% of women.
SOURCE: GSTHR
