Finland to raise tax on tobacco but not vapes

Finland is set to raise taxes on tobacco products but not vapes and e-liquids, thus deciding not to tax them on par with cigarettes..

The government’s decision is being met with massive criticism from anti-smoking charities despite evidence proving that vapes help smokers to quit.

Suomen ASH, a non-governmental health organisation in Finland, has submitted a statement in opposition to the move.

It says, “We consider it important that the tax on all tobacco and nicotine products – including nicotine products that do not contain tobacco – is increased regularly. Nicotine is the main addictive ingredient in tobacco and other nicotine products. It is a highly toxic chemical that causes various harms in the body even in small concentrations and to which the brains of children and young people react very sensitively.”

Suomen ASH has made the submission despite a recent landmark report from neighbouring country Sweden proving that nicotine does not in itself cause tobacco-related health issues. The study shows that Sweden has dramatically lower rates of tobacco-related deaths and health issues than other European nations – despite similar levels of nicotine intake.

This week, it emerged that smoking rates in Sweden have plummeted from 16.5 per cent to under six per cent in less than a decade. The dramatic drop is attributed to the country making much safer nicotine alternative products like vapes, pouches and snus readily available.

Sweden is now on the verge of its smoking rate dipping under five per cent and being officially declared “smoke-free” by the World Health Organisation.

Meanwhile, countries that have persevered with tighter regulations on vapes have witnessed a booming black market where criminals fight for control over their sale.

In Australia, where vapes are only available from pharmacies, violent turf wars have broken out with dozens of tobacco shops set alight. Australian politicians have recently warned UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to rethink a vape ban.

In Brazil, where vapes have been banned since 2009, they are still readily available on the black market, with six million adult smokers saying they have used a vape.