Winnipeg — Electronic cigarettes are taking a chunk of Manitoba’s tobacco tax revenue.
The province announced last week they are taxing Manitobans an additional one dollar per carton of cigarettes but are still projecting a 12 per cent drop in Tobacco Tax Revenue.
Manitoba’s Finance Minister says despite the increase in e-cigarette use, the province won’t be adding taxes to those products whether they contain nicotine or not.
“I’m here to tell you right now, we are not raising any taxes on e-cigarettes,” Finance Minister Greg Dewar said Tuesday.
Currently, electronic cigarettes and vaporizers are taxed the 8 per cent provincial sales tax. Traditional cigarettes are taxed among the highest in Canada, a staggering 29.5 per cent.
Still, the tax doesn’t stop some smokers.
“I like my cigarettes,” one woman said.
Another smoker told Global News, “They are both filled with toxins, whether its oil and water based, or whatever is in cigarettes other than nicotine, I think they are both bad.”
Smokers looking to kick the habit often times opt for the e-cigarette option.
“Over the weekend, you know what, this is it for smoking, and we came to get an e-cigarette and give this a shot,” one couple told Global News.
Quit smoking products such as Nicotine patches and gum are tax exempt. E-Cigarettes are not included in that tax exemption because its’ still unclear of the long term effects on one’s body.
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