Vaping To Be Taxed

[dansus]

Write to your MP via Write to Them telling them how you feel about the VPD.

Edit: template to help you get started.

Dear X

Today i am contacting you regarding the current government's Vaping Products Duty (VPD), due to come into force on 1st October 2026.

I have added a link to the consultation paper (1) used to justify the VPD. The headline is that it intends to apply a duty of £2.20 per 10ml to any liquid that is manufactured, sold or intended to be used to make eliquid for personal use.

This may not sound like much until you dig into the details, and expose the unintended consequences. Firstly, 10ml is seen as an equivalent of 100 traditional cigarettes, this is a nonsense, assessed by a body that clearly knows little about the real consumption trends of vapers (2).
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In summary, the Vaping Products Duty as it stands needs to be reconsidered, and reworked to reflect the reality of vapers consumption habits.

I hope you will agree with me, at least in part, that the unintended consequences have not been fully considered, and are able to raise questions to the relevant offices involved.


Yours sincerely,


Name

1) https://assets.publishing.service.g...aping_Products_Duty_consultation_response.pdf

2) https://nnalliance.org/nnanews/news...s-are-a-misguided-assault-on-quitting-smoking

 

[Mr Ripple]

I admire the above post but fear we are too few to be heard and not enough in numbers for anyone to care

 

[Toby iVapour]

Just a draft for now, but progress on letter to my MP via Write to Them.

Comments welcome..

Well done for writing to your MP

To accommodate the needs of more experienced vapers, the market developed a system known as shortfills, which is essentially a larger bottle of nicotine free liquid, then 10ml bottles of flavourless nicotine are added. This is system is used by the majority of UK's 5 million vapers today.

The majority? Do you have a source that states that?
Of our customer base, shortfills are used by the minority (and even less these days, because there seem to be far less cloud chasers than there used to be).

The cheapest nicshot (£1) will rise to £3.20

Plus 20% VAT.

 

[dansus]

The majority? Do you have a source that states that?
Of our customer base, shortfills are used by the minority (and even less these days, because there seem to be far less cloud chasers than there used to be).

Thanks, i have reworded it.

 

[Rickster]

Agreed - unless they target companies who market it for use to vapers but that should be a simple workaround for most DIYers. That'll be the next thing. Figuring out all the workarounds to hopefully minimise the effect of the new tax.

These workarounds (which there will be) whilst being a wee bit dodgy, hopefully the forum will grow a pair and allow the unallowed to be discussed, this will piss off the allowed but ain't nobody paying a hunner quid for 3 shortfills

 

[Toby iVapour]

These workarounds (which there will be) whilst being a wee bit dodgy, hopefully the forum will grow a pair and allow the unallowed to be discussed, this will piss off the allowed but ain't nobody paying a hunner quid for 3 shortfills

Shortfills will probably be banned anyway (before excise duty comes in) when the Tobacco & Vapes Bill returns (same rules to apply to zero nic, 10ml max size allowed).

 

[Rickster]

Shortfills will probably be banned anyway (before excise duty comes in) when the Tobacco & Vapes Bill returns (same rules to apply to zero nic, 10ml max size allowed).

I hear you....n this is my point, you can't ban big bottles....impossible....so this leaves anything over 10mls as dodgy.

 

[MarylinC37]

Well we've already established that vape juice will only become liable for tax at the point of manufacture and since most of the componant ingredients all have legitimate other uses away from vaping I don't see that they can enforce a 10ml bottle size for VG, PG and flavourings or add any vape tax onto them. Therefore, for DIYers at least 95% of our juices should be able to quite legally avoid any Vape Duty.

After that the only issue is sourcing nicotine for our recipes and finding our ways to have those conversations without causing any difficulty for those in charge on the forum.

 

[andipandi]

Well we've already established that vape juice will only become liable for tax at the point of manufacture and since most of the componant ingredients all have legitimate other uses away from vaping I don't see that they can enforce a 10ml bottle size for VG, PG and flavourings or add any vape tax onto them. Therefore, for DIYers at least 95% of our juices should be able to quite legally avoid any Vape Duty.

Well, they must have a plan, like a retail customer would sign a declaration, stating that the vg/ pg is not for vaping purposes. Then what, they randomly come round ours to see what we're using it for. Don't see how they can ban retail sales of vg/ pg because people use it for lots of different things.

I can forsee flavour vendors like Darkstar and Nom Nomz being forced to keep a database of all customer sales, which HMRC and the like would have access to. I mean, why else would someone buy vape concentrates, if they weren't homebrewing eliquid.

Ultimately we have been fucked over by big tobacco, vape companies, trade bodies etc, they are the ones who goldplated the goverment consultation response...

2.27 Most businesses and organisations welcomed the inclusion of at home production, arguing that the duty could provide a clear, enforceable manufacturing standard that mitigates the risks of the illicit market.
2.28 There was a concern that consumers will undertake home production to avoid paying the duty and expose them to health, hygiene, and safety risks. A vaping organisation stated:
"Not including ... (DIY) vaping products in the scope of the duty would create an incentive for their use, which would in turn increase the risks to health. The safety and hygiene of DIY products cannot be guaranteed."

I'm 99% certain I know which bunch of trade organisation chunts that was

 

[MarylinC37]

. . . and expose them to health, hygiene, and safety risks. A vaping organisation stated:

It's stuff like this that makes me angry because it really is such typical bullshit. Suppliers like Darkstar, Vapable and the like provide safe properly manufactured and tested products and if you drive them out of business then people will be forced to find other sources which are far more likely to put peoples health and safety at risk.

How can HMG think they can just chuck £220 per litre of duty onto vape juice and then imagine that people won't resort to making their own juice? If they then drive the only safe source of ingredients out of business they are totally disregarding people safety and health which is completely wreckless.

Bullshit like that is far more to do with money than peoples safety.