E-cig heated tobacco and combustible-alternatives sector data in Asia

30th January 2023: Bangladesh: In response to the proposed amendment to ban vaping and heated tobacco products, the Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Traders Association (Bendsta) has called on authorities to withdraw the proposed ban and to consult with all industry members before making any policy decisions, media reports. The organisation fears the ban will jeopardise the prime minister's vision of making the country tobacco-free by 2040.
27th January 2023: Malaysia: The Ministry of Finance told ECigIntelligence today that the excise duty applicable to nicotine-containing e-liquids – which was suspended in December 2021 by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department – is still suspended as of today, and will remain so until the Tobacco and Smoking Control Bill 2022 is approved by Parliament. The bill, which needs to be reintroduced to Parliament by the new minister of health, proposes a ban on the sale and usage of vapour products to those born on or after 1st January 2007.
26th January 2023: Indonesia: Vice president Ma'ruf Amin said today that the effects of e-cigarettes would be reviewed and, if proven to be harmful to public health, they would be banned by the government, press reports.
26th January 2023: Indonesia: The minister of health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, said yesterday that regulations for e-cigarettes are still being discussed across ministries, press reports. The minister highlighted that vaping products cannot be considered a substitute for traditional tobacco products, and that they are considered to target children due to their attractive flavours.
25th January 2023: Philippines: Health advocacy groups have expressed their support for House Bill 5532, which aims to raise taxes on e-cigarettes, press reports. The bill was presented by representative Joey Salceda of the majority bloc Lakas-CMD party and proposes an increase to PHP60 ($1.05) per ml for nicotine salt, plus an ad valorem tax at 20% of the net retail price and a specific tax of PHP20 ($0.34) per device. The bill is pending in the Ways and Means Committee.
23rd January 2023: Indonesia: The Directorate General of Customs and Excise has revealed how much revenue was collected from e-cigarette and heated tobacco excise duty in 2022, press reports. A total of IDR1.02tn ($68m) included IDR627.11bn ($42m) from open-system e-cigarettes, IDR119.47bn ($8m) from closed-system e-cigarettes, and IDR271.93bn ($18m) from heated tobacco products. The total revenue collected from tobacco and related products was IDR218.62tn ($14.57bn), of which e-cigs and heated tobacco accounted for just 0.4%.
20th January 2023: Iraq: The public prosecutor of the Duhok Governorate in Kurdistan banned the use, sale and circulation of e-cigarettes, press reports. As a consequence of the decision, Farhad Ismail, director of the Prevention Department at the Duhok Health Directorate, reported to the press that these products spread at an alarming rate among youth, and that the ban came after long discussions about their adverse effects in the region.
18th January 2023: United Arab Emirates (UAE): The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology has told ECigIntelligence that a new fee is now being charged to issue the conformity certificates for regulated products. The fee is AED670 ($182) for the certificate and AED620 ($169) for the technical review of documents. It now takes one and a half working days to resolve an application instead of three, and applications are submitted per model type or per stock keeping unit (SKU).
16th January 2023: Philippines: Following seizures of smuggled and untaxed products, the Bureau of International Revenue (BIR) has called on all distributors and sellers of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and novel tobacco products to comply with the business registration requirements and tax obligations specified in BIR Revenue Regulations 14-2022 and DTI Department Administrative Order 22-16. Among the requirements is the obligation for sellers and distributors of products via e-commerce and internet websites to be registered with the competent authorities.
13th January 2023: Taiwan: Yesterday, 12th January, the Legislative Yuan adopted the amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act banning e-cigarettes. Until now, a statutory ban existed only for nicotine e-liquids, but with the latest changes all e-liquids regardless of nicotine content will be prohibited.
10th January 2023: Kazakhstan: The tax rate for nicotine e-liquids has changed from 1st January to KZT53 ($0.12) per ml.

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