Price of vapes shoots up by €1.50 throughout Spain
Electronic cigarettes in Spain will be taxed the same as traditional tobacco products
It’s been in the pipeline for quite a while now but on Tuesday April 1, Spain finally increased the taxes on the liquid in electronic cigarettes, or vapes, to bring their cost more in line with traditional tobacco products.
The new tax will impose a 15 cent per millilitre charge on e-cigarette liquid that does not contain nicotine or that contains 15 milligrams of nicotine or less; a 20 cent per millilitre charge on e-cigarette liquid that contains more than 15 milligrams of nicotine per millilitre; a 10 cent per gram charge on nicotine pouches; and a 10 cent per gram charge on other nicotine products.
In practice, this means that an average 10ml vape cartridge will now cost €1.50 more.
The vaping tax was originally scheduled to come into effect on January 1, but the Ministry of Finance decided to delay it by three months to allow “more time for affected parties to adapt to the new tax system.”
The tax on e-cigarettes is part of the roadmap that the Ministry of Health and the regional governments agreed upon a year ago, after a heated debate, in the Comprehensive Tobacco Prevention Plan 2024-2027, which aims to reduce the number of smokers. The fight against new forms of tobacco, considered by the scientific community to be little more than a gateway to smoking, is considered a central part of this strategy.
In 2024, 19% of Spaniards aged 15 to 64 reported having used e-cigarettes at some point in their lives, a percentage seven points higher than in 2022 (12.1%) and almost double the 10.5% in 2020. However, only 1.4% of men and 1.2% of women use them daily, according to the latest Survey on Alcohol and other Drugs in Spain.
Other new tobacco regulations
In addition to the vape tax, the sale of e-cigarettes to minors under 18 is now prohibited and vaping is no longer allowed in schools and other educational centres or parks. The advertising of e-cigarettes is also banned during children’s hours.
Labels on vaping liquid must include a list of ingredients, health warnings (“consuming this product is harmful to your health”) and a leaflet with information on use, storage, contraindications and possible adverse effects.
The new regulation will also limit the use of flavourings.
A couple of weeks ago, the Spanish government hiked up the price of dozens of brands of cigarettes, cigars and rolling tobacco. Among specialists, there is broad consensus on the correlation between rising tobacco prices and a decrease in consumption. The Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (Semergen) yesterday expressed its support for “all initiatives, including tax increases, that contribute to discouraging tobacco use and protecting public health.”
Raúl de Simón, coordinator of the Semergen Tobacco Working Group, emphasised that “increasing taxes on tobacco and all related products is one of the most effective strategies to encourage consumers to quit.”
Also of interest: New rubbish tax arrives in Spain: How much more will you have to pay?
Image: Archive
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