Recently, according to a report by the Telegraaf, the Dutch government has stated that it has no plans to introduce taxes on e-cigarettes or e-cigarette liquids, and this issue will be left for the new government after the November elections. The Netherlands is currently awaiting approval from the European Union to begin taxing e-cigarettes, a process that could take several years.
Meanwhile, other European Union countries have already introduced their own local taxes, and the Netherlands has also taken similar measures targeting other unhealthy products such as soft drinks.
Doctors have been warning about the alarming rate at which young people in Netherlands are adopting e-cigarette use. One in five youngsters have used e-cigarettes in the past year, with 70% of them also smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes.
The minimum age restriction for using e-cigarettes is 18 years old, however, there is a widespread violation of this regulation, and online sales are flourishing.
Compared to traditional cigarettes, using e-cigarettes is significantly cheaper. Currently, a pack of cigarettes costs around €11. In contrast, an e-cigarette equivalent to two packs of cigarettes, measured by nicotine content, only costs about €6.
Maarten van Ooijen, Deputy Minister of Health in the Netherlands, recently expressed to the media that he intends to advocate for the implementation of a nationwide tax on e-cigarettes by the next government.
The high prices will help people quit smoking, but the outgoing government is more inclined to ban flavored e-liquids and online sales.
He said, "We need to take action as soon as possible to protect our children, just like other European Union countries.”
The decision to not impose a unilateral "usage tax" is attributed to the previous government, which wanted to wait for a decision from the European Union. Considering that this may still take some time, Marten stated that if the next government considers making this tax a national option, it would be in the interest of public health.
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