Shadow of things to come?

[svapirella]

Newsflash from Italy: starting from January 2014, e-cigs (including spare parts and e-liquids) will be taxed at 58,5%. Moreover, they will be subject to the same restrictions that apply to cigarettes.

[Perpetua]

Link to the actual article here:

www.thelocal.it/20130627/cost-of-e-cigarettes-set-to-rise-in-italy#.UczEqSdOESQ.facebook

[fred]

Aaaaaaaaagggggggggghhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrr

It's that same bleedin' photo - do they not have any more?

And AGAIN, some daft prat, whittering on about containing PG.

[ChillerVapes]

ecig... who said anything about an ecig... this is a personal portable nebuliser

[svapirella]

Thanks, Perpetua! Actually, the bill has been approved and the tax increase is now official.

[Kaaru]

[neptune]

This is morally reprehensible and indefensible. So people who are paying out of their own pockets to improve their health, when the "official system" proved to be incapable of helping them, are to be financially penalised. Worse still it sets a precedent for other nations to follow suit.

[svapirella]

This is a "decreto legge", and as such it should have had immediate effect (pending discussion and approval by the Parliament within 60 days)... BUT! The decreto legge itself states that it will become effective as of January 1st 2014... Puzzling, to say the least. The bill also states that the sale of e-cigs will have to be regulated by the Amministrazione Autonoma Monopoli di Stato-AAMS (State tobacco monopoly), basically equating e-cigs to cigarettes on the assumption that they are "tobacco substitutes". What's next? A tax on hard candy, chewing gum and liquorice lozenges?!

[kibbster]

Well at least they've announced to the world how corrupt they are and all they care about is money no matter how many citizens they endanger and kill for it.

[kibbster]

Next they'll be telling people that the tax is for people's own good.

[GunJack]

sick barstewards.... hope the council of ministers see sense and chuck it out...

[kingsley]

And here we were all thinking Italy might actually become less corrupt once Berlusconi was jailed...

[padiho]

What a disgrace, wouldn't bet against that happening here someday. They preach to and condemn smokers, make us out to be worse than lepers, pretend they are interested in our health when the truth of the matter is, they just want your money. The vaping band must be really snowballing and hitting the treasuries pockets.

[oldsmokey]

Yep they only want our money. The 'caring about health' thing is just a front - if they really wanted us to live to be 100 they would do something about pensioner poverty and care for the elderly....

As has already been said this, unfortunately, sets a precedent - how long before the other European governments jump on the bandwagon?

[Kaaru]

I really do think that if they think this is some kind of easy target, tax cash cow - they will go ahead by whatever means necessary to squeeze some money out of it.