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The steady flow of good and bad news for the electronic cigarette industry continues. At the same time that San Francisco pushed through a bill that bans vaping in all places where smoking too is prohibited, Washington’s capital avoided a 75% tax on e-cigs which was originally planned to be 95%.

The bill barely passed a House Finance Committee by a vote of 7-6, but failed to make it to a vote before the session ended. It’s worth noting that within the committee, all Republican members voted against the bill along with one Democrat. While the bill may come back, for now, it is in legislative Limbo.

You can read the full story here.

While primary arguments in favor of the bill seemed focused on public health and potential harm, it seemed the major reason for the bill was tax revenue. Proponents argued that the bill would bring in around $30 million by 2018 in taxes. It sounds like some were against the bill because it appeared to have little real reason to exist other than to squeeze additional tax revenue out of a product without real justification.

Steve and Kim Thompson, owners of the Vaporium there, were involved in advocacy against the bill. In short, they argued that the increased tax rate would kill their competitive advantage over online markets and force them to move their business elsewhere. That’s a common argument against high taxes these days. It’s certainly hard enough on those brave remaining brick and mortar stores out there. There’s no reason to make it even harder on them.

Again, while the bill may very well reappear, this is nothing short of a victory for vapers in Olympia.

Good work.