The disconnect between the people and government with their lobbyists continues to grow

THE European Commission is apparently now looking at ways in which they can “equalise” the level of taxation between e-cigarettes and more traditional tobacco products.

farage on friday graphicEXPRESS

Nigel Farage has spoken about the disconnect between the people and the government

I don’t know about you, but I am sceptical that any modern politician, let alone any Eurocrat, would be minded to reduce taxation on the latter in order to bring it into line with relatively low taxes on the former.

Instead, we can expect that the European Union in all its wisdom will seek to raise taxation on this new technology that has enabled many thousands of people to give up smoking – precisely what they claim taxes on cigarettes are intended to do!

The number of e-cigarette users has skyrocketed in the past few years, with 2014 estimates claiming that around 2.1 million people now “vape” either as a replacement for, or as a means to quit smoking cigarettes.

So it’s little wonder that the powers that be, those who see themselves as boss, instead of you, are now seeking to monetise that in their ever-increasing need to expand the role of big government, and tax all the fun out of life.

This of course will be galling to the vaping shops that have popped up in Britain – especially in the north.

Nigel Farage in Essex last weekGETTY

Mr Farage in Essex last week

It will be disappointing to those trying to kick the habit, who are currently pleased to find that it is also saving them money, as well as improving their heath.

And it will be a blow to the hundreds of jobs that now rely on this burgeoning industry, as employers realise they can’t afford to employ as many people, or have to drop wages as a result of a tax rise.

And so the war on vaping has begun. And it’s not just an EU thing, either.

Over the past few weeks we’ve seen a concerted effort by anti-tobacco campaigners turning their heads to e-cigs

Over the past few weeks we’ve seen a concerted effort by anti-tobacco campaigners turning their heads to e-cigs, presumably concerned that e-cigarette users will either move onto, or back to, cigarettes.

Never mind that that scenario is entirely the choice of the individual in question – it is also a flagrant distortion of the fact that, whether they like it or not, e-cigarettes are saving lives.

But America’s Food and Drug Administration wants to regulate them further, and the European Union wants to tax them out of existence.

It reminds me of U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s satirical quote: “If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidise it.”

Well if we’re not careful, the e-cigarette market may stop moving, and who knows, with the utterly pointless plain cigarette packaging legislation on the horizon, we may find ourselves in a situation where buying cigarettes on the black market, or importing them from abroad, will become both cheaper and more commonplace than buying a pack of fags in the off licence, or buying an e-cigarette in the newsagent.

And that would be a truly bizarre scenario indeed.

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Mr Farage has been campaigning regularly in Thanet South

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I’ve been campaigning regularly in Thanet South for months now, where I am standing for Parliament in May.

One thing I am constantly reminded of, when I’m down there, and when I speak to voters, is how under-served a lot of this country is in terms of broadband coverage, and indeed mobile reception.

It is staggering to think that by the end of it, High Speed Rail 2 may have cost the taxpayer upwards of £70bn, whereas we are not using this money to incentivise mobile phone providers, or internet service providers (ISPs), to improve the access to high speed internet and basic mobile telephony across the country.

The disconnect between what people want, and what government and its lobbyists thinks is best for us, is illustrated not just on this issue, not just on e-cigarettes, but also on issues related to core national infrastructure.

No doubt after this week, we’ll be asking questions about our defence and security infrastructure, as Russian 'Bear' bombers continue to buzz our coastal regions. But also, we should think about our business and consumer infrastructure, such as our airports.

It strikes me that Manston, in particular, in Kent, has been abandoned by current national and local politicians, who only seem to chirp up about it, and start visiting the place at election time.

What all these things need are powerful voices of the people inside the House of Commons.

If I may say so – I think Ukip is the only party offering those voices.

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