Hello to all forum members; my name is Gianluca Francolino, I am Italian and I am writing to inform you about something weird that is going on in my country these days.
Our government is going to pass a decree, which levies a 58.5% tax (plus 21% VAT) on e-cigarette components, spare parts and juices. Alongside with this absurdly high tax, a slandering media campaign is informing people on the negative effects of e-cigarettes. Such effects have never been proved. On the contrary recent studies (one carried out by University of Pisa and another by Abich labs and Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Greece) have instead proved that e-cigarettes are not toxic.
Because juices and spare parts are much cheaper than butts, at present e-cigs are both an inexpensive alternative for smokers who cannot afford the real thing and a viable help for those who would like to quit smoking.
If this law were passed, e-cigarettes would wind up costing just as their traditional counterparts (what a fortuitous coincidence, especially considering that our government has a monopoly on tobacco!!!), and it goes without saying that most people will no longer consider e-cigs a feasible alternative to cigarettes. Furthermore it is apparent that this decree is surrendering the e-cig business to tobacco lobbies.
From the first day of 2014 vapers will have to spend twice as much as they spend now if they want to keep vaping and Five-thousand shop owners, whose age vary from 20 to 45, run the risk of losing their jobs. This is both ironical and paradoxical, because this legislative decree is just an article of a more general law that aims at reviving our economy, increasing employment and decreasing taxes.
A group of Roman vapers is therefore staging a hunger strike in the Parliament square, supported by a few thousands other people (shop owners, clerks and customers) who come to Rome every day from all over Italy to demonstrate against this abominable law before it is voted and made effective.
Italian shop owners have also started an online petition, hoping they can put an end to all this. In order to get this decree cancelled from the text of the whole law before it is voted, the petition must be signed by 50.000 people. This is why we need help from vapers all over Europe. Please help us fight this unjust law and vexation.
Thank you a lot to all of you for taking the time to read me and all our gratitude to those wholl help by signing or by spreading this news around Europe.
http://www.change.org/it/petizioni/...a-tassa-del-58-5-sulle-sigarette-elettroniche
Gianluca Francolino
Our government is going to pass a decree, which levies a 58.5% tax (plus 21% VAT) on e-cigarette components, spare parts and juices. Alongside with this absurdly high tax, a slandering media campaign is informing people on the negative effects of e-cigarettes. Such effects have never been proved. On the contrary recent studies (one carried out by University of Pisa and another by Abich labs and Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center in Greece) have instead proved that e-cigarettes are not toxic.
Because juices and spare parts are much cheaper than butts, at present e-cigs are both an inexpensive alternative for smokers who cannot afford the real thing and a viable help for those who would like to quit smoking.
If this law were passed, e-cigarettes would wind up costing just as their traditional counterparts (what a fortuitous coincidence, especially considering that our government has a monopoly on tobacco!!!), and it goes without saying that most people will no longer consider e-cigs a feasible alternative to cigarettes. Furthermore it is apparent that this decree is surrendering the e-cig business to tobacco lobbies.
From the first day of 2014 vapers will have to spend twice as much as they spend now if they want to keep vaping and Five-thousand shop owners, whose age vary from 20 to 45, run the risk of losing their jobs. This is both ironical and paradoxical, because this legislative decree is just an article of a more general law that aims at reviving our economy, increasing employment and decreasing taxes.
A group of Roman vapers is therefore staging a hunger strike in the Parliament square, supported by a few thousands other people (shop owners, clerks and customers) who come to Rome every day from all over Italy to demonstrate against this abominable law before it is voted and made effective.
Italian shop owners have also started an online petition, hoping they can put an end to all this. In order to get this decree cancelled from the text of the whole law before it is voted, the petition must be signed by 50.000 people. This is why we need help from vapers all over Europe. Please help us fight this unjust law and vexation.
Thank you a lot to all of you for taking the time to read me and all our gratitude to those wholl help by signing or by spreading this news around Europe.
http://www.change.org/it/petizioni/...a-tassa-del-58-5-sulle-sigarette-elettroniche
Gianluca Francolino
Anyway, The e-cig is the first device I ever found promise in when it come to getting off analogs.. I'm probably going to buy another pack today.. I expect that one to last about 5 day and I hope it's my last.. Thanks to the e-cig and the great support and advice I get from the folks at this site. BTW, If the government really cared if you quit or not they would just ban cigarettes in the US.. But they will never do that, they get to tax you to death as long as you're smoking.
