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Electronic Cigarettes: Excise Duties

Asked by Jim DicksonLabourTreasuryTabled Answered 16 March 2026UIN 120199

The question

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the vape excise tax will be evaluated to ensure that it reduces youth vaping, maintains smoker switching and reduces the illicit market.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson

From 1 October 2026, the government will introduce a Vaping Products Duty of £2.20 per 10ml, alongside a one‑off increase in Tobacco Duty to maintain the incentive for smokers to switch from tobacco to vaping.

To minimise the risk of switching to the illicit market, the government has provided a £10 million funding boost to Trading Standards, up to £10 million from HMRC for Border Force to enhance operational information gathering capabilities between 2026-27 and over 300 new HMRC compliance officers to strengthen enforcement.

Consideration will be given to evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the Vaping Products Duty once sufficient data has been collected, particularly among young people and non-smokers. This will be in line with policy objectives and wider government aims of creating a smokefree generation.

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