Hawaii’s governor has signed a bill that would impose a 70 percent wholesale tax on e-cigarettes and other products

Hawaii Governor Josh Green has signed an amendment to the Cigarette and Tobacco Tax Act (S.B. No. 975), which changes the definition of “tobacco products” to include e-cigarettes and e-cigarette oil products, and Hawaii’s tobacco products or snuff products are subject to a 70 percent wholesale state excise tax as well as a federal excise tax.
Hawaii local time on June 7, according to Hawaii Governor Josh Green’s (JoshGreen) official website update, Green has signed the “cigarette tax and tobacco tax law” bill amendments (S.B. No. 975), the bill amended the definition of “tobacco products” to include e-cigarettes and e-cigarette oil products.

 

Currently, Hawaii’s tobacco products or snuff products are subject to a state excise tax of 70% of the wholesale price as well as a federal excise tax, and this legislative change would include e-cigarettes and e-cigarette oils within the scope of “tobacco products,” which is more applicable to tobacco taxes and tobacco tax laws. This means that e-cigarette products will be the same as cigarettes and other tobacco products to implement the same tax standards. The bill will take effect on January 1, 2024.

In addition, the bill also proposes to increase licensing fees for dealers and retailers of cigarettes and tobacco products.

Governor Greene noted:

“This piece of legislation has been years in the making and I applaud this Department of Health and all of the advocates, which includes youth advocates, for successfully moving this forward.”

Rep. Scott Matayoshi (R-CA) noted:

“S.B. 975 is an important bill in our fight against e-cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use, which will ultimately save many people from harming themselves with tobacco products.”