EU Commissioner Tells Porkies
The EU Tax Commissioner has wrongly equated vaping with smoking and is pushing taxation that could drive ex-smokers back to cigarettes, says the World Vapers’ Alliance
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by Dave Cross
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The World Vapers’ Alliance has strongly condemned the recent statements made by EU Tax Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, who, it says, falsely claimed that vaping "kills like ordinary cigarettes" and justified higher taxes on vapes and flavours based on misleading arguments.
During a parliamentary hearing, Hoekstra suggested that young people are being “seduced” by flavoured vapes and that these reduced-harm products create a “false sense of security.” He went further, making the scientifically inaccurate claim that vaping is as deadly as smoking, a statement completely at odds with all of the evidence accepted by the UK government.
What we know about the relative safety of vaping:
- “Vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking” – The NHS
- “Research so far shows that legal e-cigarettes are far less harmful than smoking” – Cancer Research UK
- “Vaping poses a fraction of the risk of smoking” – Hazel Cheeseman, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
- “E-cigarettes around 95% less harmful than tobacco” – Public Health England
- “The risks of vaping are much lower than the risks of smoking” - Dr Sarah Jackson, University College London
- “The levels of exposure to cancer causing and other toxicants are drastically lower in people who vape compared with those who smoke” - Dr Debbie Robson, King’s College London
- “Vaping may be less harmful to your blood vessels than smoking cigarettes. Within just one month of ditching tobacco for electronic cigarettes, people’s blood vessel health had started to recover” - Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation
- “The evidence keeps piling up: e-cigarettes are definitely safer than smoking” – The Guardian
Alberto Gómez Hernández, Policy Manager of the World Vapers’ Alliance, stated: “This is a dangerous and irresponsible statement from an EU official who should be basing his policies on facts, not fear-mongering. The science is clear: vaping is at least 95% less harmful than smoking and is the most effective tool we have to help smokers quit. Equating vaping with smoking is not only misleading but also risks deterring smokers from switching to a far less harmful alternative.”
It is widely recognised from independent research that flavours play a crucial role in helping smokers transition to less harmful alternatives and their use is associated with a 230% increase in the odds of quitting. A significant majority of adult vapers prefer non-tobacco flavours, with fruit flavours being particularly popular, as shown by the latest Eurobarometer survey.
Gómez Hernández continued: “Flavours are not a marketing ploy to attract youth but a vital component in encouraging adult smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives. Higher taxes on flavours would make it significantly harder for many vapers to stay away from combustible tobacco, potentially leading to higher smoking rates.
“If the EU is serious about reducing smoking rates, it must promote harm reduction strategies that include vaping. Spreading misinformation and imposing prohibitive taxes will only serve to protect the cigarette industry at the expense of public health.”
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
