Excise Tax on Vaping in Dubai Is Pushed Forward to December 1 st Instead of 2020

Excise Tax on Vaping? According to WhatsOn Magazine, “The UAE Cabinet has announced plans to introduce an excise tax on e-cigarettes and vapes. From December 1, 2019, electronic smoking devices and the liquids used in them will be hit with a 100-percent tax.”

Although this news is not surprising since the tax was proposed back in August. It has now been pushed forward a lot sooner.

The excise tax was not effective until January 2020. But the UAE Federal Tax Authority has suddenly expedited. All Dubai vapers and businesses are rushing to prepare for it.

This means that everyone who enjoys vaping in Dubai will have to fork out more money. There isn’t much time left because December is just around the corner.

Depending on where you usually shop for these products, a business might choose to pass the tax onto consumers, and the increased prices will be seen in the upcoming weeks.

What Is Excise Tax?

If you are a resident or tourist in Dubai. You might already be familiar with the terms “Excise tax” and “Sin tax”. The United Arab Emirates government introduced the excise tax from October 2017 on goods deemed harmful to the environment and public health.

The purpose of this tax is to increase government revenues to pay for public services while encouraging people to reduce their consumption.

The excise tax rate ranges from fifty to a hundred percent, with the maximum applied on all tobacco-related products.

How Does This Affect Me?

Prices listed on local websites or retail stores could potentially double because the tax on
vaping is a 100-percent addition. If you have a low budget, this might affect your level of consumption in a few short weeks.

The excise tax will not stop people from vaping, but it will push some customers to downgrade their products and reduce consumption if they are price sensitive.

Local businesses will also become more competitive to offer attractive deals with cost-effective products, while still maintaining quality and safety in accordance with UAE consumer laws.

There is a higher risk of vapers buying cheaper devices and e-juices from unauthorized sellers to save money. This is not recommended at all because products sold by unlicensed sellers may contain many harmful chemicals that can lead to fatal respiratory diseases.

Vaping in Dubai is the most cost-beneficial choice. This is because vape products last much longer. You might only pay excise tax once a week to replace coils or every couple of years on new devices.

This depends on the quality and manufacturer you are buying from. Always purchase your electronic smoke devices and e-juices from a reputable and licensed seller with top reviews.

Do your research and avoid buying cheaper products on social media at all cost. Not only will those products endanger your health. Made from poor-quality materials that will cost you more down the line just to keep replacing them.