UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / November 27, 2025 / eCigone, one of the UK’s most decorated online vape retailers, is urging the Government to rethink its approach to taxing zero-nicotine vapes, arguing that taxing them the same as nicotine products is “illogical, counter-productive, and harmful to smokers trying to quit”.

Shane Margereson, Founder of Ecigone and a vocal advocate for responsible vaping regulation, says the tax structure currently planned gives people no real incentive to progress down the nicotine levels and ultimately reach zero.

0mg products will be taxed at the same rate as nicotine-containing vapes – despite containing no nicotine and posing no risk of nicotine addiction.

Margereson believes this oversight has created a disincentive for both consumers and manufacturers. With no price benefit in choosing a zero-nicotine product, fewer smokers feel encouraged to step down to 0mg - and fewer manufacturers feel compelled to produce them.

“The whole point of vaping, at least for most former smokers, is harm reduction,” Margereson said. “People move gradually down the nicotine strengths until they reach zero. But if the Government taxes 0mg vapes the same as nicotine products, it removes the reward for doing the right thing. It’s like taxing decaf coffee as if it contained caffeine. It’s nonsensical.”

He added, “As a retailer, you’d think I’d welcome higher demand for nicotine products, but I find the opposite to be true. It’s immoral to profit from a system that blocks people from reaching zero nicotine. 

“If we want genuine public health progress, then 0mg vapes need to be tax-exempt. That would show a clear path: reduce nicotine, save money, and move towards quitting altogether. The fact we’re straying from that path is deeply concerning, particularly when the country is still trying to bring smoking rates down”.

He argues that policy needs to distinguish between products designed to help smokers quit and those that pose risks for youth uptake. 

“By lumping everything together, the Government is stifling the very behaviour it claims to encourage,” he said. “A simple exemption for 0mg products would send the right message: if you want to quit, we’ll support you. The lost tax revenue would be dwarfed by the gains this could bring when it comes to public health.”

Margereson is now calling for urgent engagement between policymakers, public health researchers, and responsible industry leaders. 

“We don’t want weaker regulation: we want it to be smarter. This is one area where a small amendment could make a huge difference.”

For more information, please visit https://ecigone.co.uk.