A Bersatu MP has urged the government to align cigarette and vape taxes, saying the gap between the two is too wide, weakening efforts to stop the habit.
Wan Saiful Wan Jan (PN-Tasek Gelugor) noted that from 2021 to July 2025, tax collection from vape devices and liquids, both nicotine and non-nicotine, amounted to RM288.45 million.
“In comparison, cigarette taxes for the same period amounted to RM15.02 billion. This means the vape tax is only 1.9% of the cigarette tax. This gap needs to be narrowed,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
Saying vapes should be taxed by their nicotine content and benchmarked against cigarettes, Wan Saiful proposed a tax hike on an annual basis, or once every two years, to discourage people from picking up the habit.
He added that vapes should be given a minimum price like cigarettes to reduce their appeal among schoolchildren.
“Only then can we show that the government is serious about curbing their use,” he said.
Wan Saiful also asked for stronger enforcement of existing tobacco control laws, saying illegal products, open promotion, and sales to the underaged remained widespread.
He singled out open-tank vape systems as a major risk, as they allow the mixing of illegal substances.
In a separate statement on Facebook, Wan Saiful asked for equal taxes between cigarettes and vape starting with the 2026 budget.
“The main substance both share is nicotine. Vapes must be taxed by nicotine content, to ensure tax equality.
“Today, vapes are only taxed at 40 sen per ml, which means 80 sen for 2ml. Two ml of nicotine is equal to the nicotine in one pack of cigarettes, which is taxed RM8 per pack. The 2ml nicotine tax should also be set at RM8,” he said.
Earlier in the sitting, Suhaizan Kayat (PH-Pulai), the chair of the parliamentary health committee, spoke about the growing health toll from vape use.
He also spoke about the adulteration of vape liquids with toxic metals, addiction among the youth, and the abuse of vape devices for drugs.
