Shopkeepers and customers in Derby are bracing for a new government duty on vaping liquids due to come into force this October, saying the change could push some users back to cigarettes and encourage cheaper, potentially unsafe counterfeit products.
What the tax will do to prices
Under the new measure, a fixed duty of £2.20 will be applied to every 10ml bottle of e-liquid, regardless of whether it contains nicotine. In practical terms, bottles commonly sold in larger sizes will face substantially larger increases: a 100ml bottle would attract an additional £22 in duty.
| Bottle size | Additional duty |
|---|---|
| 10ml | £2.20 |
| 30ml | £6.60 |
| 100ml | £22.00 |
Vape shop operators in the city say the levy will force them to raise prices and could alter customer behaviour. River Lights Convenience, on the Morledge, sells a range of sizes; its manager, Kami, told InfoRadar that online sellers without the overheads of a physical shop are likely to be a cheaper option for many customers.
"We will inevitably have to put our prices up, and that's going to have a knock-on effect of people going online to buy their vapes,"
He warned this could lead some former smokers to return to cigarettes rather than remain with vaping as a cheaper alternative. Shop staff also fear the higher retail prices will create a market for lower‑cost, illicit or counterfeit liquids that do not meet recognised safety standards.
Local concerns: safety, supply and customer choice
Retailers here say they already encounter poorly labelled or suspect products and that greater price pressure could increase the prevalence of such items. Kami described an incident where a delivery of fake liquids was intercepted at the shop and emphasised the importance of quality checks and supplier documentation.
- Shops expect to raise retail prices to cover the new duty.
- Customers may migrate to online sellers who have lower overheads.
- Higher prices risk encouraging counterfeit or unregulated products.
The government has defended the measure as a way to reduce the "affordability and appeal of vaping products, particularly among young people and non-smokers", while saying it wants to preserve incentives for adult smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives. Local retailers, however, remain sceptical that higher costs will deter uptake among young people and worry about unintended consequences for product safety and smoking prevalence.
For Derby residents who vape, practical considerations from October will include comparing prices across local shops and online, checking product labelling and supplier credentials, and being vigilant about suspiciously cheap offers. Retailers say they will continue to check deliveries and display information to customers about how to spot counterfeit liquids.
As the implementation date approaches, traders and public health stakeholders in Derby will be watching closely to see whether the policy meets its aims without creating new risks in the local market.
