Ontario believes that a new charge will deter young people from vaping.
The province of Ontario intends to impose a tax in an effort to decrease the prevalence of vaping, especially among youth, which will result in an increase in the cost of vaping products.
In his fall economic update on Thursday, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said that Ontario will impose a provincial excise tax on vaping items, which would treble the current federal duty rates.
In the budget update, the government stated, Research suggests youth vaping can lead to smoking, citing studies published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that indicate one in six nonsmokers who use vaping products will eventually start smoking cigarettes.
Public health experts, the World Health Organisation, and organisations like the Canadian Cancer Society have stated that taxation is a critical public policy tool to reduce vaping, especially among young people, and helps manage the associated health risks.
Manufacturers and importers would pay $2 for two millilitres of vaping juice for the first ten millilitres, and $2 per ten millilitres for additional volumes, as a result of the combined tax.
Although relatively new, these kinds of levies have shown to be successful, according to Lesley James, the Ontario director of health systems for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Vape taxes have been implemented in about 100 jurisdictions worldwide, and the findings thus far indicate a similar trend: decreases in use, especially among young people who are price-sensitive.
We are primarily attempting to reach that population in order to discourage starting and encourage quit attempts.
According to James, there is growing evidence that vaping may have harmful effects on the blood pressure, mental health, and respiratory system.
According to James, roughly 21% of Ontario students in Grades 10 through 12 reported vaping in 2021–2022, a decrease from 26% in 2018–19. Nonetheless, a minor rise has occurred among younger pupils, rising from 7.6% to 8.5%, according to data from the Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drug Survey.
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