Alabama cities are racing to beat an Oct. 1 deadline to adopt new local taxes on vape products even as questions swirl about how much revenue the measures might actually generate.

From Gulf Shores and Orange Beach to Decatur and Muscle Shoals, city councils are moving swiftly to impose an additional 10-cent-per-milliliter tax on vape liquids sold within their jurisdictions. Many are also attaching annual business license fees to wholesalers and retailers.

If cities don’t act by Oct. 1, they’ll lose the ability to levy the tax entirely. The Oct. 1 date was added into a new state law regulating the vape industry adopted by Alabama lawmakers this spring.

Vape taxes are considered excise taxes levied on vapor products, which include e-cigarettes, e-liquids, and related hardware. These are i

See Full Page