Vaping tax and tobacco duty rises set out in Rachel Reeves' Budget

In its last Budget before losing the election, the previous Conservative government said it wanted to introduce a vaping tax and set up a consultation on the changes.The consultation said the tax aimed to make vaping “less accessible to young people and non-smokers while also raising revenue for funding vital public services like the NHS”.It had proposed different levels of tax based on the amount of nicotine in the vaping liquid. However, Reeves has instead opted for a flat rate.In its analysis of responses to the vaping consultation,, external the government said industry representatives and some public health bodies had opposed a three-tier structure, warning it could result in unintended consequences and create complex bureaucracy. Head of the UK Vaping Industry Association John Dunne called the vape tax a “nonsensical move” that penalised people who used vapes as a method to give up smoking.He said: “Some three million adults are former smokers thanks to vaping, which is…