INDONESIA
Indonesia is moving to stub out its booming e-cigarette sector by imposing a 57% tax on non-tobacco alternatives starting this summer.
The move has sparked criticism that the government is siding with giant tobacco firms at the expense of public health.
Hasbullah Thabrany, health expert and advisor for the National Commission on Tobacco Control, warned that while customs and excise law required the government to set taxes for such products, it was possible that authorities were using the levy to take sides, saying, “I do believe that the policy sides with the [tobacco] industry.”
A key growth market for global tobacco firms, the country has one of the world’s highest smoking rates and smoking cessation products are difficult to find.
Despite all this, e-cigarette cafes have been popping up across Indonesia in recent years amid debate over their safety.
Rhomedal Aquino, spokesman for the Association of Indonesian Personal Vaporizers, said, “We agree with a tax plan to control consumption, but a 57% duty is too high -- it will kill a growing industry. It will make us look like a killing machine when we’re not.”
On the other hand, Indonesia’s customs office said it hopes the high tax will make e-cigarettes unaffordable for children, while the health ministry said it is not sold on the argument that vaping is safe.
“E-cigarettes are just as dangerous and can be even more carcinogenic [than regular cigarettes],” said senior ministry official, Muhammad Subuh. “We reject both conventional and electronic cigarettes. It’s better to quit smoking altogether. There is no such thing as ‘less dangerous’ when it comes to smoking.”