LATEST ALERTS
Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has reminded importers and manufacturers of vaping products and heated tobacco products to register for the Philippine Standard
Philippines: The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has confirmed a decrease in excise tax collection from 2021 to 2024 that led to a
Uzbekistan: At a meeting of the lower chamber of the parliament, health minister Asilbek Khudayarov announced that a bill aimed at banning the
Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Health Council published a warning on its official X account last week about short-term effects from the use of e-cigarettes. The
Bangladesh: The government has banned the import of e-cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), with immediate effect. The ban follows a government decision to
Bangladesh: Bangladesh Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Traders Association (Bendsta) and Consumers Rights of Sales Alternatives (Corsa) have proposed a new regulatory framework. Bendsta
Vietnam: As of 1st January, the sale and import of “electronic cigarettes”, including related equipment and accessories, are prohibited, according to resolution 17/TCHQ-GSQL. In
Armenia: In response to complaints about the frequent disregard for the ban on smoking and vaping in various locations, the Ministry of Health
Uzbekistan: Today, at a meeting of the lower chamber of the parliament, a bill aimed at banning the distribution of certain types of tobacco
Kyrgyzstan: According to the Tax Code, the tax rate for nicotine e-liquids in cartridges, reservoirs and other containers will increase from KGS15 ($0.17)
Armenia: The Tax Code will increase the tax rate for e-liquid cartridges – regardless of nicotine content – including disposable e-cigarettes, from AMD65
Armenia: In October 2024, the government adopted a resolution according to which traceability control marks would apply to e-cigarettes. Products produced in Armenia
Indonesia: The minimum retail price of electronic cigarettes will increase from 1st January 2025, following the publication of Ministry of Finance regulation 96
Indonesia: The Ministry of Finance has issued regulation 96 of 2024, to take effect on 1st January 2025, press reports. The regulation sets
Vietnam: The National Assembly has issued resolution 173/2024/QH15 in which it formally asks the government to ban the production, trading, import, storage, transport and use
Bangladesh: The interim government has decided to add e-cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) to the list of prohibited items under the Import
Indonesia: Merrijantij Punguan Pintaria, director of Beverages, Tobacco Products and Refreshment Materials within the Ministry of Industry, said that the draft regulations introducing
Indonesia: Former director of research policy and cooperation at the World Health Organization (WHO) Tikki Pangestu said that, in order to reduce the
Thailand: A parliamentary committee is finalising its report on measures to regulate e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) in an effort to protect
Philippines: Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) commissioner Romeo Lumagui said in a social media post that online vape sellers still need to pay the
Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has reacted to social media posts by two vape companies, Flare and Shft, in which they
Philippines: Public health advocacy group HealthJustice has called for a total ban on e-cigarettes. After Vietnam's National Assembly approved a resolution to ban e-cigarettes from
India: Two members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, the ruling party), Shalini Yadav and Shehzad Poonawala, have called for stricter enforcement of anti-tobacco laws,
Taiwan: Today, the Ministry of Health and Welfare released the findings of the 2023 Youth Smoking Behavior Survey. The survey reported a 4.8%
China: The State Council Customs Tariff Commission recently issued the Methods for Levying Customs Duties, Value-Added Tax, and Consumption Tax on Imported Goods, effective 1st
Philippines: According to a social media post by Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) commissioner Romeo D Lumagui Jr., the BIR has seized more
Indonesia: Cashtry Meher, a health practitioner and member of the National Democratic Party (NasDem), which currently holds 69 seats in the parliament, has
Philippines: Senator Sherwin Gatchalian from the majority bloc Nationalist People’s Coalition party has filed Senate Resolution 1243, calling for an investigation into revenue
Vietnam: The National Assembly unanimously agreed to ban the production, trading, import, storage, transportation, and use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco from 2025.
Jordan: The director general of the Anti-Smuggling Directorate of Jordan Customs, Jalal Al-Qudah, told the press that the agency’s efforts resulted in the
Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health, a government-funded statutory body, has called for banning e-cigarette possession due to their
Philippines: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has issued a press release informing that it has lifted the suspension of trading activities for vape
Kyrgyzstan: President Sadyr Japarov has signed the Law on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Kyrgyz Republic in the Sphere of Protecting
Bahrain: The Court of Cassation has ordered a local company to pay nearly BHD3m ($7.98m) for evading excise taxes on “e-liquids” and “pre-filled
Israel: The Tax Authority reported that it stopped an attempt to smuggle e-cigarettes worth more than ILS13m ($3.5m) in unpaid taxes.
Malaysia: A former king of Malaysia (January 2019 to January 2024) and the current sultan of the state of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin
Philippines: Yesterday, 18th November, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) reported the seizure of PHP5.07bn ($86m) in smuggled vape products during the first ten
Singapore: On 13th November 2024, the Ministry of Health (MOH) released a parliamentary question and answer titled “Measures to Curb Vaping in Schools and
Indonesia: Concerns over the draft regulations setting out plain packaging requirements for tobacco and nicotine products continue to grow in Indonesia. Willy Aditya of the NasDem
Vietnam: Following yesterday’s question-and-answer session between ministries and the National Assembly, the Ministry of Health proposed a resolution to the National Assembly to ban e-cigarettes
China: At the 20th National Academic Seminar on Tobacco Control and Health, Zhi Xiuyi, vice-president of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control, said
Thailand: In a meeting today, the National Tobacco Products Control Committee agreed to propose that the government promote the “1 province, 1 hospital:
Vietnam: Today, during a question-and-answer session between ministries and the National Assembly, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said it had agreed with the
Bangladesh: The Advisory Council of Interim Government has sent the draft of amendments to the Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act back
South Korea: An official from the Planning and Finance Committee in the parliament said that there is a high possibility that bills amending
China: Today, the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration has released information on three cases of companies selling non-compliant e-cigarettes. These cases involve companies selling
Taiwan: Today, Taiwan’s Education and Culture Committee of the Legislative Yuan invited officials from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Welfare
Malaysia: The Malaysian Vapers Alliance (MVA) has urged the Ministry of Health to reconsider the display ban on vape products that is set
Thailand: Today, Panumas Yanwetsakul, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, has highlighted the health risks of e-cigarettes and their increasing popularity among
