Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all tobacco product packaging, including cigarette filters, will be subject to their proposed tax on plastic packaging.

As announced at Budget 2018, from April 2022 the government will be introducing a new tax on plastic packaging containing less than 30% recycled plastic.

In spring 2019, the government consulted on the high level design of the tax and a summary of responses was published in July. These responses are being used to inform the detailed design of the tax including the definition of packaging, which will be included in legislation that is due to be introduced next year. Where tobacco product packaging, cigarette filters, e-cigarettes and other vaping related products meet the definition of plastic packaging, and contain insufficient recycled plastic, they will be subject to the tax.

The government has made no specific assessment of the impact of litter caused by vaping. Litter specifically associated with vaping has never appeared in the top 20 litter types, according to independent national surveys carried out by Keep Britain Tidy.