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Malaysian e-cigarette poll: 73% of e-cigarettes are taxed too much

Malaysian e-cigarette poll: 73% of e-cigarettes are taxed too much

2022-06-22

According to a commissioned poll by the Malaysian Vaping Industry Advocacy Group (MVIA), 73% of Malaysians believe that raising the excise tax on e-liquid to RM1.20 per milliliter is too high.


The figures come from the “#Tax and Regulate MY Vape: Your Say poll conducted by Green Zebras Sdn Bhd (GZSB), a leading market research firm in Malaysia.


In addition, the poll also showed that 85% of Malaysians believe that such high tax rates will lead to the growth of the black market.


Almost all people, or 91%, believe the government should tax vaping products to prevent consumers from switching to black market products, and 75% said that to remain price competitive, tax rates must be kept low.


Rizani Zakaria, president of MVIA, said the findings reinforced the view among industry insiders that e-liquids are taxed too high.


"This will lead to a spike in e-liquid prices. As this will affect the local e-cigarette industry, the government needs to be mindful of the negative impact when formulating tax policies," he said in a statement today.


MVIA is a non-profit advocacy organization that supports local vaping entrepreneurs and businesses.


Rizzani said the poll's results were timely given the recent announcement by Customs to delay the newly announced excise tax.


He said: "We hope it will give the government an understanding that a sensible approach is needed when it comes to the tax framework for the industry and we urge the government to maintain the tax rate at RM0.40 per milliliter.


The poll also showed that Malaysians are encouraging the vaping industry to make progress, as a balanced tax framework can generate additional revenue for the government and improve the quality and safety standards of vaping products.


Respondents indicated that implementing an appropriate tax framework would allow consumers to obtain legal and regulated products.


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