The Canadian Vaping Association has been working over the years to make Quebec a vaping products free area. This work has begun to bear some fruits. The number of smokers in Quebec is declining. This has greatly reduced the risk of many people contracting complicated ailments caused by tobacco.
Recently the Canadian government laid out a proposal to tax vaping products. This proposal has been met with mixed reactions. The Canadian Vaping Association (CVA) is opposing the proposed vape tax. The association says that taxing vaping products is likely to have many unintended consequences.
According to the Canadian Vaping Association, vaping products are highly regulated. These products also provide high quit rates than other cessation products such as gums and patches. This means that any changes in how these products are accessible are likely to have a huge impact on people who use them.
The Canadian Vaping Association believes that taxing vaping products will likely increase the cost of vaping products. This will in turn hurt the country’s goal of becoming a smoke-free nation. Vape products can help the 1.3 million smokers in Quebec quit smoking. It is a healthy alternative that is already playing a major role in helping former smokers quit.
Moreover, the government has no basis for introducing additional taxes for vaping products. Already vaping products are highly regulated in Canada. Teens and children are prohibited from buying them and all young Canadians must produce identification to make a purchase. Further manufacturers are required to add warnings in packages that their products contain nicotine and can be highly addictive. Therefore, the additional taxation is not being done as a deterrent. While the government says this is the main reason for the introduction of the new tax, it seems that this will be counterproductive in the long run.
The Canadian Vaping Association believes that the introduction of a federal excise tax on vaping products is likely to hurt society. Given that the new tax is likely to push the prices of these products up many people already mainly vaping will likely start smoking once again. People are always looking for affordable alternatives. If the tax makes vaping products less affordable then users will opt for affordable alternatives which may include cigarettes. This will undo many gains that have been made in reducing cigarette use in the country.
Besides increasing smoking, the Canadian Vaping Association says that the federal tax on vaping products is also likely to encourage many people to seek vaping products from illegal underground markets. This will increase crime and weaken the system the government has put in place to protect the youth. Today vaping markets are all legal and easy to trace. However, by making the products too expensive for consumers some consumers may start seeking underground markets and this will make it hard to trace the origin and sale of some of the products.
According to a recent Health Canada review, sustained public awareness and education will make the youth in the country more informed about vaping. This way the country will be able to achieve its objective more easily than using any other method. Many people who take up smoking or vaping do so for lack of knowledge. If many youths know the dangers of these products many will seek to avoid them.
