Gov. Phil Scott on Thursday threw his support behind a 92 percent wholesale tax on e-cigarettes, giving a boost to a proposal that has failed to get through the Legislature over the past few years.
The levy would bring an estimated $1 million into state coffers. But proponents portray the move as a public health initiative as surveys show more young people trying and regularly using electronic nicotine-delivery devices.
“Our kids must know the dangers of these behaviors, and we should stop it in its tracks,” Scott said in his fiscal year 2020 budget speech.
Health advocates praised the idea. But the proposal was immediately panned by the American Vaping Association, an advocacy group that argues e-cigarettes are an effective stop-smoking option for adults.
