Washington, DC Call to Action: Oppose a 70% Tax on Vapor Products

[JustJulie]

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has introduced the city’s budget for 2016. The proposal includes the “Vapor Product Amendment Act of 2015” which would tax e-cigarettes at the same rate as other tobacco products which is an unjustifiable 70% of wholesale.

Please take action NOW by sending an email to city council members urging them to remove this harmful tax from the budget.

• Oppose Vapor Taxes in DC - Send an Email

Please also make plans to attend this hearing*:

Friday, May 8th at 10:00 AM
Council Chamber - Room 500
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004​

*Persons wishing to testify should email committee staff persons to ask that your name be added to the list.

• Sarina Loy (sloy@dccouncil.us, 202-724-8058)
  
• Brian McClure (bmcclure@dccouncil.us, 202-724-8112)

While a speaking position is not guaranteed, members of the public may be permitted to testify even if they do not sign up in advance. (Even if you are not planning to testify, your presence is encouraged as it demonstrates the large number of people affected by and engaged in this issue. As a sign of respect, please refrain from vaping in the capitol building. Please also dress accordingly -- no sweatpants and t-shirts.)

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(Writing Tip #1) If you have a lot to say, please craft your email in a separate word doc and then copy/paste it into the field provided. If you take too long, they system will time out and you will lose your work.
(Writing Tip #2) Although we've provided a prewritten email with compelling talking points, we would strongly encourage you to edit the email because personalized communications to legislators are far more persuasive than form letters. At a minimum, PLEASE INSERT YOUR PERSONAL STORY (just a few sentences) in the text of your email.

Link to Call to Action: CASAA: Washington, DC Call to Action: Oppose a 70% Tax on Vapor Products

 

[JustJulie]

Update 4-30-15:

To testify: Anyone may testify at this Hearing.

• To do so, as soon as possible (and no later than by Wednesday, May 6th) call the Committeeof the Whole office at 202-724-8196to register as a witness.
• Witnesses can submit a copy of written testimony to Nyasha Smith, Secretary to the Council of the District of Columbia (Suite 5, Wilson Building,1350 Pennsylvania Av NW, DC 20004) by Thursday, May 7th.
• If a witness does not provide a copy of the written testimony to the Secretary's Office the day before the Hearing but wishes to have written testimony as part of the record, he or she must bring 15 copies with them to the Hearing.

Time allotted to speak/testify: 3 minutes (but written testimony can be longer).

The record remains open for only two days for submission of testimony for the record.

To observe: Seats are available in the Council Chamber for interested parties and visitors to observe the proceedings. We have been told that signs/posters are not allowed. (Even if you are not planning to testify, your presence is encouraged as it demonstrates the large number of people affected by and engaged in this issue. As a sign of respect, please refrain from vaping in the capitol building. Please also dress accordingly -- no sweatpants and t-shirts.)

Link to Call to Action: CASAA: Washington, DC Call to Action: Oppose a 70% Tax on Vapor Products

 

[JustJulie]

These pending changes have not, despite media silence, gone unchallenged. The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association (CASAA) issued a call to action recently to oppose this particular item in the budget. CASAA seeks to inform the public that vaping is not like traditional, smoke-based methods of tobacco consumption, and that the health risks of vaping are less than that of smoking.

Individual members of CASAA and other opponents of the tax increase contacted various members of the DC Council and attended a budget oversight committee hearing on May 8 to express their views on the proposed tax increase.

CASAA’s Legislative Director Alex Clark spoke to Watchdog Arena on the subject. He told us that “any additional taxes beyond general sales tax imposed on vapor products are inappropriate and will only encourage existing smokers to keep smoking. Moreover, attempts to achieve tax parity with combustible cigarettes will only serve to amplify the dangerously inaccurate message that these products are just as harmful as smoking.”

DC budget would extend 70 percent tobacco tax to vapor products, e-cigarettes - Watchdog.org

 

[JustJulie]

(Update 06.12.15)

Final consideration of The District’s Budget is set for Tuesday, June 16th. The excessive and unjustifiable tax on vapor products is STILL in the budget.

There are a couple of points to know about this tax:

1. Vapor products will misleadingly be taxed at the same rate as combustible cigarettes -- 70% wholesale.
2. The language makes no distinction between the Cigarette Tax versus the Vapor Tax. This means that, in the future, when (not if) the City Council decides to raise the cigarette tax, the tax on vapor products will rise along with it.

At this time, the budget is far enough along in the process that there is only one person who has significant influence over the outcome. Please take a moment now to call and email Chairman Phil Mendelson and urge him to remove the vapor products tax. We have provided his contact information below.

Chairman Phil Mendelson pmendelson@dccouncil.us (202) 724-8032
Even if you’ve already participated in our previous updates, please take action again. We have provided a fully editable, pre-written email that you are encouraged to “customize” with your personal story about how vaping has helped you. It is imperative that the chairman hears about your success stories.

• Oppose Vapor Taxes in DC - Send an Email

 

[DCer]

Now that the budget has passed, is there anything that can be done? I did not notice this issue until after it happened. Grrr...

 

[Bill Godshall]

It would be helpful if someone (Julie?) could provide documentation of DC's new 70% tax on vapor products.

I couldn't find it cited in the enacted DC budget bill at
http://lims.dccouncil.us/Download/33642/B21-0157-SignedAct.pdf

There were other large documents related to DC's budget legislative process, but I can't find any that cite a tax on e-cigs.

 

[Bill Godshall]

Found it on page 65 of the following
http://www.dcfpi.org/wp-content/upl...ear-2016-Budget-Support-Act-of-2015-FINAL.pdf

 

[azb8496]

Maybe it's because it has already been a very long week for me, but I couldn't find the 70% tax callout. I saw some definitions on that second post that show how the FDA-approved "cessation devices" (i.e. BP) would not be lumped into the same tax group as vapor products, but I couldn't find what the "other tobacco products" reference and I really don't have time to read all of the 30 page appropriation request (I did try various word searches though). I apologize if it's staring me right in the face and I need it spelled out, but I've been battling ants, ANTZ, & Verizon for the past 5 hours. This one's still a mystery to me.