E-cigs are going to be legal?

This gives hope!

Tobacco law loophole under review | Bangkok Post: news

 

Opportunity for a sensible decision is there, but will the reality match the opportunity?

I would like to think so but I am not particularly hopeful at this point with all the other BS going on from the BIB and military.

And lets face it...it means that they may have to admit to making an error! Not normally on the cards here.

But I remain optimistic all the same.

 

I see this as very positive news. Even though the tax rates would probably be very high, the ability to legalize the category including vaping items is very positive. This is a reminder that this was always about the money and nothing to do with health issues.

Prohibition of personal use items has failed in many countries when there is mass popular support for widespread use. The bad news is that this may take some time to sort out. The opportunity for a new additional revenue stream is very enticing to our government.

 

Next year at this time we may all be complaining about how expensive vape gear is.

Cigarette tax in Thailand is 70% of the retail price.
http://tobaccotax.seatca.org/country/thailand/

 

I rather pay taxes and that I can vape everywhere than getting caught vaping somewhere and pay 50,000 Baht to somebodies pleasure fund.

I agree that 70% is way to high for the investment you have to make to get started compared with cigarettes. I think 15 - 20 % would be a fair taxation.

 

The maximum tax rate of 30% would probably be applied to most vaping items. In addition to the 30% they would add their processing fees. I have been through this with other items when they don't actually know the value they just take what is declared and charge the maximum percent allowed. If they totally disallow the declared amount they can place any value they want as their bases for calculation. Nothing to do with vaping items but I have had them charge some astronomical amounts based on made up values for other items. There is no recourse.

Still legal is far better than illegal.

 

In Germany the Tax on Tabacco is round about 700% or the product price i belief ...
so even a 70% tax is better for legal vaping then facing the issues with the 50.000 THB trouble relief bribe

 

If legalization of vapor products were possible I would be really happy to pay a levied tax. As a very frequent traveler to countries in the region I hate the experience of passing through customs each time with my gear, or vaping covertly in public.

 

As a suddenly poor Brit, I hate the idea of any price rises, but looking on the bright side.
A 30% duty is roughly the same as the value of my orders stolen by Customs.
Thai vendors presently presumably have to either hand over brown envelopes, or suck for having some imports seized. We may see more variety of stock, and the vendors absorbing part of the tax when they can import without risk.
Or I may be talking b*llocks. Bed time.

 

If the duty is too high, the Thai vendors will still smuggle them in to avoid the duty, so should think prices will stay about the same. But, at least the spot light will be off those who vape!

 

Where the vendors get it from is not really our problem is it . Like you do not really care where you sigs came from , you just bought them in a shop . Now, you also do not know where it comes from . It is illegal at the moment , paying a bit more but being 100% legal is the most important .

 

Vape gear IS already expensive here when compared to other countries. The fact that import is illegal might justify this.

If/When regulated and taxed it will be very hard to keep track of and tax the sale of vape gear in online stores/facebook & line sellers - just like it is in other countries since cigarettes come in huge containers and don't have a very high profit margin; whilst vape gear can come straight from the factory in China or through distributors via special freight "forwarders" who are able to pass on a couple thousand baht to customs to turn a blind eye and delivered/stored right at the retailer's house - this means products will continue to arrive in Thailand tax free and the large (sometimes upwards of 200%) profit margins will remain in place.

This I believe is one of the government's biggest concerns. HOWEVER there still is and will always be a much higher number of smokers in Thailand/SE Asia than vapers/baraku users thanks to the culture (last I checked about 45% of Thai males smoked, correct me if I'm wrong can't remember the site) and the seemingly common misinformation/misconception that vaping destroys your lungs/kidneys (??) - electronic cigarettes and baraku are not much of a threat to the Thai Tobacco Monopoly as they seem to think since they're viewed as stuff that us farang and a few locals take part in. The majority of locals I've seen here tend to buy the eGo from a market stall (400 baht) and a bottle of fake liquid - try it for a week or two till they get bored/the device breaks and then are back to cigarettes. In turn police (at least here down South) don't take any notice of people vaping, market stalls selling overpriced eGo devices, fake juice, bongs, pipes and hookah pipes or clubs/bars selling shisha. Live and let live seems to be their attitude.

Even in Malaysia - arguably the vape capital of SE Asia - there's still a much higher percentage of smokers and vaping is kinda seen as a sub-culture thing that "the kids are doing" rather than an alternative to tobacco.

So they might just put this taxation in place which will probably result in the first B&M stores being opened here as well as an increase in the number of online retailers increasing competition and slightly lowering prices (or we might just end up with a ton more websites selling at exactly the same price).

That's just my 2c. Rant over and fingers crossed!