Italian Senate approves freeze on e-cig tax; final vote due in September

The Italian Senate today approved a proposal to temporarily suspend the country’s contentious tax on e-cigarettes.

The plan to freeze taxation until 18th December will now have to be passed by the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati), which will vote on the proposal in September. If that body approves it, as widely expected, the freeze will come into effect.

The temporary suspension was put before the Senate in an amendment to the Decreto Milleproroghe, an annual decree existing since 2014.

The amendment was proposed by Senator Massimiliano Romeo from Lega, the political party led by Matteo Salvini, and the Decreto Milleproroghe was passed in the Senate by 148 votes in favour and 100 against.

Like the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies will vote on the entire decree and not the e-cigarette measure in isolation.