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Public health advocates are urging Congress to impose a tax of at least P80 on vapor products, saying higher taxes are needed to discourage vaping among young Filipinos and prevent long-term health costs.
The Healthy Philippines Alliance (HPA), with HealthJustice as its convener, said the proposed unified tax rate of P72.93 by 2027 for cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs), and vapor products remains insufficient to curb access to vaping products.
The proposed rate was recommended by the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Department of Health (DOH).
HPA Lead Convener and former Health Secretary Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan said vaping products should not be considered harmless, warning of their potential impact on young people’s health.
“Vapes are far from harm-free,” Galvez Tan said, adding that the early development of chronic heart and lung conditions could eventually result in significant costs for the healthcare system.
HealthJustice also opposed proposals from some lawmakers to lower the vape tax to as little as P15 per milliliter.
HealthJustice Legal Adviser Atty. Benedict Nisperos called such proposals “reckless and unacceptable,” arguing that lower taxes could make nicotine-containing vape products more accessible to young people.
“We cannot allow lower tax rates that enable more addictive substances, like nicotine salt vapes, to proliferate in the market,” Nisperos said.
The group also raised concerns over what it described as regulatory gaps in the Philippines compared with other Southeast Asian countries.
Nisperos said eight of the 11 ASEAN countries have completely banned vapor products, while the Philippines continues to allow their sale under Republic Act 11900, or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act. —VBL, GMA News
