The government has announced a new tax on vaping products (Picture: Getty/metro.co.uk)
Jeremy Hunt has announced a new tax on vaping as part of the Spring Budget.
The new tax will come into effect on October 2026 and be levied specifically on the liquid in vapes, with a higher duty paid for products containing more nicotine.
There will also be a one-off increase in tobacco duty, the chancellor confirmed.
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In January, the government announced a ban on disposable vapes after new data showed the number of children vaping in the last three years has tripled.
By raising the ‘vaping products levy,’ the government hopes to make the habit unaffordable to children.
They also announced restrictions on flavours, packaging, and how vapes are displayed in shops.
The upcoming levy is an attempt by the government to raise money after announcing widespread tax cuts elsewhere throughout the budget, including additional cuts to national insurance and income tax.
The Chancellor claimed Conservatives know ‘lower tax means higher growth. And higher growth means more opportunity, more prosperity and more funding for our precious public services’.
Rishi Sunak previously announced plans to create a ‘smokefree generation’ by introducing legislation to make it an offence to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 Jan 2009.
Although the sale of tobacco products will not be criminalised, the government hopes to phase them out gradually, claiming such a move will save the NHS billions each year.
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