Vape tax ‘will drive trade underground’
SHOP STAFF SAY MOVE WILL BOOST BLACK MARKET
NOTTINGHAM vape shop workers fear Government rule changes will cause a huge growth in the number of illegal devices being sold on the black market.
A ban on disposable devices was confirmed in January, with a new tax on vaping products announced as part of the Budget last month. Businesses in the city, while largely agreeing with the ban on disposable vapes, said the tax would result in trade being pushed underground.
Nottingham City Council’s trading standards team seized more than 7,500 illegal vapes in 2023, compared to 1,786 the year before.
Workers at Eco-vape, in Upper Parliament Street, estimated that seven out of every 10 customers already ask them for illegal products.
“[The tax] will definitely have an effect. If it gets to a certain price it’s a problem,” said manager Sifal Yakoubi. “There’s already lots of people selling illegal disposables under the counter. They sell to anyone, including underage. This can be fixed by giving out licences to sell them.”
Sales assistant Callum Edwards said the Government was “shooting itself in the foot”, adding: “I think it will drive the black market 100-fold.
If people want, people get. A lot of people turn to the black market to get a hit. [The Government] want people to not smoke cigarettes to decrease the stress on the NHS but a lot of people will go back to cigarettes.”
E-liquids and UK disposable vapes can contain no more than 20mg/ml (2%) of nicotine by law. Vape kits and disposables have a volume limit on tank or pod size of 2ml of e-liquid – which usually equals up to 600 puffs, depending on the usage.
Companies can also produce devices with thousands of puffs by creating nicotine-free disposables or vapes with several interchangeable 2ml pods. Describing the appeal of illegal vapes, Mr Yakoubi said: “You don’t have to buy one every two days. If you get 1,000 puffs you don’t have to go to the shop for a while.”
Callum Winfield, who runs Daybrook Vapes in Mansfield Road, said people asked for them “all the time”, adding: “People want them. It’s the convenience – the price and convenience of them is phenomenal.
“The black market will be absolutely ridiculous. [The tax] will have a huge impact – it’s being taxed like sugar. It will put people off. There’s a reason we’re here and it’s to stop people smoking. There’s going to be less incentive to make that change.”
Emma Boulton, of the city council’s trading standards team, said the main issue was shops selling devices with tank sizes that were too big.
“We’re finding a lot of stuff from America and other parts of the world imported into the UK and being sold. People are getting more knowledgeable about what they can sell now.”
There had been 2,435 seizures by February 15 at “a variety of retail premises”. Ms Boulton said most complaints, which sometimes include shops selling to children, came through the Citizens Advice consumer service. The “worst case scenario” was shop owners being taken to court, a route yet to be taken in the city.
The Government ban is a bid tax to tackle the number of young people vaping. Ms Boulton said: “I think it’s a good idea because they’re cheaper and more accessible to children because of the price, and they’re not great for the environment. As a member of the public, I drive round and see people [vaping] in their school uniform, so it’s obviously a worrying problem.”
She added: “I think people will just transfer to the refillable rather than the disposable. It’s not like you’re making them completely unavailable.”