Lawmakers in the US state of Nebraska have proposed legislation Bill 584 that would impose an excise tax of 5 cents per milliliter of e-cigarette consumption material, although the senator says she is working on an amendment that would make the tax a percentage of the sale price, possibly 20 percent.
State Sen. Jana Hughes (D-Seue), who has called e-cigarettes safer than smoking cigarettes, introduced the bill to protect children from vaping despite several scientific studies showing otherwise.
As of Jan. 1, Nebraska was one of 20 states that did not levy an excise tax on vaping products, according to the Urban Institute, Nebraska Public Radio reports today.
All other products containing nicotine are subject to excise taxes, Hughes said. Nebraska, for example, has an excise tax of 64 cents per pack of cigarettes.
Earlier this year, Nebraska lawmakers proposed a law that would limit how local governments regulate electronic smoking devices.