Durham Reporter

In North Carolina, an amended bill designed to raise the tax on vaping and e-cigarette products to the same level as other tobacco products fell short in the House of Representatives.

Senate Bill 557 sought to impose a tax that would have increased the tax on vapor products from 5 cents per fluid milliliter of e-liquid sold to almost 13 percent of the manufacturer’s cost. The proposed amendment was added to the bill at the last minute, but after passing in the House Finance Committee was unable to generate the support needed to make it through the full legislature.

Just before the bill failed 49-59 in a House Rules Committee vote, House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) ruled that the amendment was not relevant to the bill.

With the reported use of e-cigarette devices among young people on the rise across the country, supporters of the bill argued that the state could no longer afford to look the other way when it comes to such legislation.