(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has voted to establish a new state tax on vaping products — the electronic cigarettes that heat liquid that turns into vapor that’s inhaled. Senator Kara Warme, a Republican from Ames, says the first three million dollars of revenue from the tax would go toward pediatric cancer research at the University of Iowa.
The tax rate is far less than the state tax on cigarettes. Senator Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines, favors a significant hike in taxes for all nicotine products sold in Iowa.
The House this week voted to set aside three MILLION dollars a year for research into pediatric cancer research and clinical trials of treatments geared specifically for children. The House plan does not include a tax increase. The Senate bill would also create a new tax on nicotine patches and gum.
