As more people choose vaping as an alternative to smoking, discussions surrounding its regulation and taxation have become hot-button issues worldwide, and South Africa is no exception. One prevalent topic is the idea of raising taxes on vaping products.

While the intention might be to address public health concerns and generate state revenue, it is essential to critically examine the potential pitfalls of such a move.

In a recent op-ed published in The Conversation, Professors Nicole Vellios and Corne van Walbeek articulated reservations regarding the South African government’s prevailing tax proposal. In the article, they advocate for a minimum excise tax on all vaping products and to increase the excise tax on e-cigarettes by the inflation rate, plus a pre-announced additional percentage.

Unintended consequences

An automatic further tax increase would inadvertently drive vapers back to smoking or into the unregulated illicit market. For those who have successfully quit smoking through vaping, increased taxes may pose a financial burden that pushes them back to smoking.

Such unintended consequences could exacerbate smoking-related health issues and hinder overall public health goals.

There is plenty of evidence that vaping and cigarettes are substitute products. On the one hand this is positive, because vaping has been shown to be significantly less harmful than smoking. Consumers choosing the less harmful substitute is something to be celebrated. On the other hand, because these are substitute products, we can reasonably expect that more stringent regulations and tax increases on vaping products will lead to higher smoking rates.

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