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Jeremy Hunt has rejected a call from health officials to introduce a new tax on single-use e-cigarettes in next week’s budget. I can reveal.
The Department of Health and Human Services has pushed for a new tax on single-use e-cigarettes, such as the hugely popular Elf Bar brand, as part of the government’s plan to crack down on children’s use.
The proposal is expected to be included in the government’s response to the Khan review on smoking, which seeks to crack down on a worrying rise in e-cigarettes for under-18s.
However, Treasury sources said I Failure to include the new levy in the reduced budget scheduled for March 15, despite requests from Ministry of Health officials.
“Health Department officials are keen, but it’s not going to happen,” the source said.
But campaign groups that have long warned about the rapid rise in young people smoking e-cigarettes will express disappointment at the news.
Deborah Arnott, CEO of health charity ASH, said: I Recently, it was stated that “it would be easy to raise the tax on single-use e-cigarettes in the March budget and make them affordable, thus reducing both children’s e-cigarettes and the dumping of large numbers of single-use e-cigarettes in landfills. can be reduced,” he said.
“Adult smokers find e-cigarettes can help them quit, and we support that. We urgently need government action to do so,” Arnott added.
as revealed by I Last month, ministers considered a range of measures to stem the worrying rise in adolescents smoking e-cigarettes.
Among the plans are a potential ban on candy-flavored vape liquids such as bubblegum and a crackdown on colorful marketing aimed at those under 18.
Such measures are understood to be part of the government’s response to the Khan Review on Smoking, which called for ministers to “promote the use of e-cigarettes by children and young people, including by banning child-friendly packaging and instructions.” We will do everything we can to prevent this,” he urged.
It’s illegal to sell e-cigarettes to people under the age of 18, but national surveys show an increasing number of young people aged 11 to 17 using devices. Medical officials are blaming the rise in marketing and flavors associated with e-cigarettes.
A recent study found that the number of children using e-cigarettes nearly doubled in two years.