Vape sellers brace for further drop in business

 

Vape dealers say the proposed ban on sales to teenagers will worsen an already adverse situation.

PETALING JAYA: The impending partial ban on the sale of vape has apparently caught the industry by surprise.

Malaysian Vape Industry Advocacy (MVIA) president Rizani Zakaria said his group did not expect the government to legislate a ban on sales to teenagers although it did expect an increase in regulatory measures following a revelation in Budget 2022 that there would be an excise duty of RM1.20 per millilitre of nicotine in vape liquid.

“We need to focus on regulating the industry, and we are still waiting for feedback from the relevant ministry on regulations,” he told FMT.

Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin announced last week that the government intended to prohibit the sale of vape alongside tobacco products and e-cigarettes to people born after 2005 through a bill to be tabled at the next session of the Dewan Rakyat.

Vape dealers are complaining that the ban will hit them hard and worsen an already adverse situation.

A vape store assistant in Subang Jaya said sales had dropped by 30% since the announcement on the proposed excise duty because customers thought it had already come into effect.

“Right now, we don’t know when the excise duty will be enforced, but we expect our sales to drop even more,” he told FMT.

“With the proposed ban, it’s hard to predict how our business will fare. Perhaps we’ll have to look for other jobs. There is little we can do but voice our opinions and hope the government hears us.”

He pointed to a poster urging people to sign a petition from the MVIA asking the government to review the excise rate.

The petition has received more than 10,000 signatures since it was launched about a month ago.

The owner of another vape store in Subang Jaya said imposing the sales ban would be like “kicking someone when he’s already down”.

“If the government goes ahead with the ban, my business could get into serious trouble,” he said. “In this pandemic, businesses like vape stores are already struggling. So, imposing the sales ban will be a double whammy.” - FMT