Acme Vape Ltd, the company behind vaping brand IVG, said it has secured HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) approval to operate an excise warehouse and participate in the Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme ahead of the introduction of Vaping Products Duty next month.
The Preston-based company said the approvals are key parts of its preparations for the new duty regime, which comes into force on 1 October 2026.
Vaping Products Duty will be charged at a flat rate of £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid, applying to both nicotine-containing and nicotine-free products.
Under the new regime, vaping products entering the UK market will generally need to carry an official vaping duty stamp before being released for sale, unless they are held under an approved duty-suspension arrangement.
Acme Vape's newly approved Preston excise warehouse will allow eligible products to be received, stored and managed under duty suspension. Its separate approval under the Vaping Duty Stamps Scheme allows the company to purchase and apply the official duty stamps.
The company said the approvals will help it maintain compliant supply to wholesalers, distributors and retailers as the new duty takes effect.
Ahsan Bawa, founder and group CEO of Acme Vape Ltd, said the new duty represented more than a tax change and would alter how vaping products are imported, stored, tracked and released onto the UK market.
“For our customers, these approvals provide greater certainty at a time of significant change,” Bawa said. “We have invested in the infrastructure, systems, processes and governance required to support compliant supply from the first day of the new regime.”
Acme Vape said it had spent several months preparing its warehouse controls, technology, packaging processes and internal governance. This includes systems to order, apply, track and reconcile duty stamps throughout the supply chain.
The approvals come as HMRC urges vaping product manufacturers, importers and warehouse keepers to secure the necessary permissions and processes ahead of the 1 October deadline. HMRC has warned that businesses without the required approvals could face operational delays and civil or criminal sanctions.
Eligible products manufactured in or imported into the UK before 1 October can continue to be sold without a duty stamp during a transitional period running until 31 March 2027, subject to the applicable rules.
From 1 April 2027, all vaping products outside duty suspension in the UK will need to carry a valid vaping duty stamp.
Bawa said: “Compliance cannot be treated as a last-minute administrative exercise. It must be visible, verifiable and embedded throughout the supply chain.”