Indiana lawmakers will consider proposals on regulating and taxing electronic cigarettes, when the General Assembly gets to work next week.
State Representative Ron Bacon of Chandler is filing legislation to allow the state to tax e-cigarettes the same way as tobacco products.
Bacon tells the Evansville Courier and Press that his bill would apply the state’s tobacco tax rate of 24 percent. Senator Vaneta Becker of Evansville also supports the legislation. They say implementing the tax would increase state revenue by as much as $1 million in 2016.
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller also plans to push for regulations on e-cigs during the 2015 legislative session.
The sale of e-cigarettes to minors is already illegal in Indiana. But Zoeller says the federal government hasn’t done enough to regulate the device, which allows users to inhale nicotine.