A ride of over 700 km in 4 stages to raise the alarm on vaping supply chain that risks big impact from national law and TED directive
After last year’s success, Umberto Roccatti, President of ANAFE (National Association of Electronic Smoke Manufacturers belonging to Confindustria) and Vice-President of IEVA, is back on the saddle for the second edition of “Ride4Vape” bike tour. This initiative, created to raise public awareness – through a symbolic journey – on the damages caused by traditional cigarettes, will focus its 2021 edition on the fiscal issue and, more particularly, on the unsustainability and unreasonableness of the maxi-tax provided for by the last budget law regarding e-cigs in Italy and many other countries and the excise that Tobacco Excise Directive could introduce in EU markets. In Italy, this new tax has been temporarily suspended by the Draghi-led government from August 1st until December 31st, 2021, but new and further increases will come into effect from January 1st, 2022, unless a regulatory change is put in place.
Rocatti explains:
“The gradual increase, every year for three years, of the taxation on electronic cigarettes is pure absurdity, that risks bringing to its knees a sector already severely affected by the pandemic and which – today – counts about 45,000 employees including both direct and indirect sector. Although the new tax regime has been suspended until December 31st, 2021, the new increase will come into effect from next year. This is crazy rule indeed, that will not only seriously weigh on a supply chain made up of small and medium-sized enterprises representing an excellence model of Made in Italy in the world, but will even encourage the proliferation of the black market and the return to traditional cigarettes as well – which price was not expected to increase of even 1 cent in the last year – with the consequence that, in some cases, traditional cigarettes would be even cheaper than e-cigs.“
With the support of LIAF (Italian Anti-Smoking League), IEVA (Independent European Vape Alliance), and Sigmagazine, the 2021 edition of “Ride4Vape” will start from Bolzano on Monday, September 20th. Before landing in the capital, Roccatti will stop in Abano Terme (PD), Santarcangelo di Romagna (RN) and Sangemini (TR). Along the way and live from Facebook, Roccatti will explain in detail the disastrous effects of the fiscal policy defined on e-cigs and will launch an appeal to the institutions to stop the maxi-tax.
“What the whole sector hopes for, is a revision of the current tax burden – which turns out to be particularly excessive“, concludes Roccatti. “Moreover, it should be noted that the revenue – referred to the first months when the tax came into force before it was suspended by the new government – was not what expected, but quite the opposite, thus confirming the fact that raising taxes, especially in the midst of a pandemic, does not contribute positively to state revenues. We therefore ask for stability and fiscal balance on a sector which already underwent four tax increases in the last 6 years, always occurring in a schizophrenic way, overnight and without any planning.“
