Vaping law, taxes soon

These mixed signals hamper the legislation of the Sin Tax which seeks to levy higher excise tax to tobacco, liquors, heated tobaccos and vape products

Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri

The Senate will not craft measures that will ban vape in the country, but it will pass laws regulating and imposing taxes on the product.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri yesterday told reporters that the Senate has finalized this decision during a caucus.

“The decision of the caucus is to regulate and tax vaping and e-cigarettes,” Zubiri said.

He said the Senate eyes to pass the sin tax bill on second reading on 4 December, as it is among the measures that were certified as urgent.

According to Zubiri, Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go has already clarified with President Rodrigo Duterte that the Chief Executive only wants regulation on vape and not an outright ban on the product.

In a radio interview on Sunday, Zubiri said they are receiving different statements from Malacañang on whether to craft measures to regulate or completely prohibit the use of vape in the country.

He said that these “mixed signals” hamper the legislation of the sin tax, which seeks to levy higher excise tax to tobacco, liquor, heated tobaccos and vape products.

Different bills regulating and prohibiting the use of vaping products were filed before the Senate and also at the House of Representatives.

Both chambers are on track with the new sin tax bill, and Senate Ways and Means chairman Pia Cayetano is currently defending it in the plenary.

One of the aims of the new sin tax measure is to fill in the funding gaps for the Universal Health Care program.

Recently, Duterte ordered the arrest of vape users who are smoking in public and directed law enforcers to confiscate vape products and ban its importation.

A day after, the President backtracked and said that he will allow the use of vape only inside the users’ homes.