Chancellor's vape tax hike is 'unsustainably high' and will 'hurt working people', warns Newcastle and Wallsend MP
by James Harrison, Rhiannon James PA Political Staff · ChronicleLiveLabour MP Mary Glindon expressed concerns over the Chancellor's planned tax hike on vaping liquids. The Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend representative emphasised during the Budget debate in the Commons that this could deter smokers from swapping cigarettes for vapes.
According to Ms Glindon, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on responsible vaping, the rise is set for October 2026 and has sparked alarm due to its magnitude. "As chair for the APPG on responsible vaping, I have concerns about the announced tax on vaping liquid from 2026," she said.
Underscoring the impact on quitting smokers, she said, "There are still six million smokers who are yet to make the switch to vaping, to now put a tax on vaping will only serve to discourage these smokers to quit."
Ms Glindon critiqued the rate of the foreseeable increase, adding: "The vaping tax proposed by the Chancellor is unsustainably high, at 22p per millilitre of vape liquid this will make the UK’s tax one of the highest in Europe."
Pointing out the potential economic strain on the region, she continued: "This tax will also hurt working people throughout the North East who rely on vaping to keep them off cigarettes."
With prices dreadfully set to leap by 267%, she predicted: "Many stores will sell vaping liquid for refillable devices for 99p - under the Chancellor’s proposals this will increase by 267% to £3.64."
Ms Glindon argued that government efforts should focus elsewhere, concluding: "Access to vaping liquids is not what is driving youth vaping, the Government is already looking to address this through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill."
She argued many people's choice to "switch from smoking to the less-harmful alternative" has resulted in significant cost savings for the NHS, amounting to "tens of thousands of pounds per person". Meanwhile, in the Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves also announced a 2% increase on tobacco products and a 10% hike for hand-rolled tobacco.
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