Public health advocates from the Healthy Philippines Alliance (HPA) and HealthJustice are pressing lawmakers to establish a minimum excise tax of ₱80 on vapor products, arguing that a substantial tax floor is crucial to shield young people from addiction and curb future public health burdens.
The joint appeal follows a proposal by the Department of Finance and the Department of Health to introduce a uniform ₱72.93 tax rate by 2027 covering cigarettes, heated tobacco items, and e-cigarettes. However, advocacy groups contend that this rate remains insufficient to deter usage or prevent youth uptake.
They cautioned that softer tax measures will keep vapes easily affordable for minors, ultimately creating severe financial strains on the national healthcare system down the line.
Former Health Secretary and HPA lead convener Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan highlighted the severe risks associated with e-cigarette usage among young individuals:
“Vapes are far from harm-free. The proliferation of these products has accelerated the early onset of chronic heart and lung diseases among our youth,” Galvez Tan stated.
“Allowing young people to develop chronic health conditions early in life guarantees staggering medical costs for our healthcare system down the line. Hence, taxing these products at ₱80 or higher is an indispensable preventive health measure,” he added.
HealthJustice also strongly opposed legislative efforts aimed at lowering vape taxes to just ₱15 per milliliter, pointing out that the Philippines already maintains significantly softer controls on e-cigarettes compared to its regional neighbors.
Atty. Benedict Nisperos, legal adviser for HealthJustice, condemned the ₱15 tax proposals:
“These are just a veiled attempt of the tobacco and vape industry to introduce more addictive products to our youth and hook them to long-term addiction,” Nisperos remarked.
“We cannot allow lower tax rates that enable more addictive substances, like nicotine salt vapes, to proliferate in the market,” he stressed.
Nisperos observed that eight out of 11 Southeast Asian nations—including Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam—have enacted total bans on vapor products.
“Slashing tax rates further, paired with an already lenient Vape Regulation Law, effectively invites more predatory marketing aimed straight at young Filipinos,” Nisperos warned.