Urge Indiana legislators to vote NO on H.B. 1444 which would impose a tax on e-cigarettes and e-liquids at a rate of $0.04 per milliliter. Simply enter your information in the form to the right to send the information below to Indiana State Senators.
On behalf of the business owners, like myself, in Indiana and the consumers they serve who are attempting to quit combustible cigarettes, please vote NO on H.B. 1444, which would impose a tax on e-cigarettes and e-liquids at a rate of $0.04 per milliliter.
There are many reasons to oppose this legislation including:
- Indiana businesses are still recovering from the devastating impact caused by the old “closed” regulatory structure, which allowed a small handful of manufacturers to corner the market. Placing a tax on e-liquids at this time could cause irreparable harm to businesses like mine that are just now recovering.
- Less than two years have passed since SB 1 was enacted in 2017 to re-open the markets, meaning the true financial impact of the tax is difficult to measure given the lack of data provided to ATC during that short time.
- No surrounding states currently tax these products. Businesses on the border will see a dramatic loss of sales as customers travel to our neighboring states for cheaper products.
- The current per milliliter tax structure creates an unfair advantage for out-of-state vapor products produced by Big Tobacco as compared to smaller, Indiana-based manufacturers.
- Imposing a tax on these products will deter smokers that are trying to quit combustible cigarettes. The tax is imposed on combustible cigarettes due to the known health care costs caused by those products. Imposing a tax on e-cigarettes and e-liquids in the name of parity, when any harm is presumptive in nature, makes no sense.
- If the legislature is concerned about minor access, they are already considering an increase in the tobacco purchasing age to address those concerns. Businesses should not be forced to accept both proposals.
- Because of the uncertainty surrounding how to tax the varied products, and questions regarding the best point of collection, this issue is best discussed further in a summer study committee.
Please VOTE NO on H.B. 1444!