CBS: Vaping tax could deter adults from quitting cigarettes

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Vaping tax could deter adults from quitting cigarettes

Taxing electronic cigarettes like regular smokes could result in fewer Americans kicking the habit, some researchers think. A new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research estimates that taxing vaping products at the same rate as cigarettes could deter 2.7 million U.S. adults from quitting over a decade.

In looking at the state's 600,000 adult smokers, Minnesota's e-cigarette tax deterred more than 32,000 adult smokers from giving up regular cigarettes over a 10-year period. That's because the sharp increase in vaping costs in the state made the products more expensive, discouraging consumers.

Not surprisingly, a nationwide vaping tax like the one imposed in Minnesota could have a larger effect. Should federal policy makers opt to tax e-cigs at the same rate as regular cigarettes, the price of the vaping products would rise about 62%, according to the study. That could deter up to 2.7 million smokers from quitting tobacco cigarettes, the researchers conclude.