FLER at APE

Lawmakers in the Philippines are pushing House Bill 5207 (HB 5207), which seeks to harmonize excise tax rates on vapor products and address disparities between nicotine salt and freebase nicotine taxation. The bill, supported by more than 40 lawmakers including Deputy Speaker Kristine Singson-Meehan, would raise taxes on freebase nicotine products to align them with nicotine salt rates.

The Philippine Department of Trade and Industry is planning to impose mandatory product certification on nicotine pouches in an effort to curb illicit nicotine product trade.

The European Commission has formally published its decision approving Bulgarian legislation banning the placing on the market, offering and sale of disposable e-cigarettes.

KT&G said it will integrate the Real, Granular and Vapor Stick product lines for its heated tobacco device “lil Aible” under the “AIIM” brand. The company said the brand integration is intended to organize the existing lineup more intuitively and improve consumer accessibility and convenience.

The Canada Border Services Agency said border officers at the Point Edward port of entry in Sarnia, Ontario, seized more than CAD 4.5 million worth of illegal tobacco and nicotine vapes over a seven-day period. The agency said the contraband was entering Canada from the United States and described the seizure as part of ongoing efforts to prevent illegal products from entering the country and disrupt organized crime.

JTI Korea announced that its next-generation heated tobacco device Ploom AURA will officially launch in South Korea on April 14. The company held a media event on March 31 at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul Hotel to unveil the product in Korea for the first time.