Polish businesses fear tax could send vapers to the black market

Polish vaping sector representatives fear the excise tax on e-liquids and novel tobacco products that will come into force next year could undermine years of efforts to encourage customers to buy from legal sources.

From 1st January, Poland’s e-liquids will be subject to an excise tax of PLN0.50 (€0.12) per ml.

Justyna Lipowicz, president and co-owner of Polish e-liquid producer Lipro e-Liquid Production, told ECigIntelligence the tax should be reduced to a maximum of PLN 0.30 (€0.07) per ml, as a higher rate could push consumers towards illegal online sales, or discourage them from quitting smoking.

“Estimated yearly costs of using e-liquid will increase from PLN1825 to PLN2775 for users,” Lipowicz said. “This means that using e-liquids and e-cigarettes will only be 24% cheaper than traditional smoking. As a result, many Poles may return to smoking tobacco.”