General Chat

I'm in Australia and the smokes I buy are $12.50 at Woolworths/Coles and $16.50 most other places...
I can also get them elsewhere without the Aussie tax for almost 1/2 the price..

I think the Govvy in Aussie goes with the feel,,,,,but they make soooo much money out of the tax on cigarettes that they will never ban them...

Should we have bans on fastfood outlets???


Kellie

I think using taxation revenue to justify smoking is a poor argument, though. Far better just to come clean and say I do it because I want to do it and nobody should be allowed to prevent me. Thats the truth and people should be up front about it. I speak as an ex smoker!

I also think there are many more factors to take into account in relation to teen pregnancies. I dont think its fair to implicate increases in education with an increase in a perceived problem.

As long as you have organisations shouting the opposing view, then people, especially younger people, will go in that direction. Its in the nature of young people to do the opposite of what they are told! Always has been, always will be. Rights and wrongs dont come into it.

As a smoker,

When i started smoking there was no mention of the health risks,

Children today are education and have all the info required to make a choice? and now smoking amongst the young has increased

Sex education in schools was brought in to tackle teenage pregnancy but as with smoking teenage pregnancy has has risen in the same way,

The Tax take including VAT last your for tobacco in the UK was 11.1 billion

Roy

Totally agree, Eldrick.

I was merely pointing out that via the revenue system, smokers, drinkers etc do pay extra taxes which various goverments are happy to accept, but then accuse partkers of being a burden on the health system

You coul dpose the same argument for provioding heroin then taxing it. Smoking, like heroin, is an addiction and it kills people, but if people want to smoke then they should have the freedom to do what they want with their own bodies, as long as it isnt to the detriment of others. Sending it underground isnt going to make the slightest difference and, in all probability, will encourage youngsters to take it up as it's 'forbidden' and thats what youngsters do with 'forbidden' things.

I dont want to breathe other peoples smoke in a bar or in a restaurant, so as long as everyone respects that, do what on earth they want. Who cares?

Smokers already contribute more to the tax system via the revenue charges on tobacco.

So one argument could be that they are already contributing more to help their future health costs

Just more nanny state. As for banning them, the lost taxation would probably be made up on the lower NHS costs, but so what. If people want to ingest anything into their bodies, who is anyone to say they shouldn't? Especially a government!

As long as Im not getting smoke blown into my face, I couldnt care less. Nor, I suspect, could the majority of people.

Supermarkets already have them behind cabinet doors, if the floorage of the shop is over a certain size. Smaller shops will have to conform by 2014/15.
So you go to the supermarket, go to buy you usual brand, only to be told they have run out. How do you know which others to buy, if you cannot see them displayed.
Surely an infringement of a smoker's Human Rights.?????

Julia in Derbyshire

If it is such a killer (which I believe) just ban it altogether.

Oh, sorry! So much revenue would be lost!

We are having the same argument in Australia at the moment :-(

Allan (an ex smoker)

how will anyone know which brand is which ...... :-D :-D :-S

Government are now looking at the branding on fag packets with a view to make the packets Blank?

They at the moment have a large add saying that smoking kills?
some say that smoking seriously harm you and others around you?

That has not worked so why do they think that a blank packet will?

Since the ban on smoking in enclosed spaces came in smoking in young people has actually increased

If government think that by hiding cigarettes behind cover in shops so they are not seen,

Banning smoking in public enclosed spaces,

Advertising on fag packets that smoking will kill you,

Why do they think that no add on the packet will make the difference?


After all having all of the above on illegal DRUGS ( is working a treat ) with drug addiction on the increase

So what is the answer bearing in mind that a total ban will not work either? Just as making drugs illegal has not.

I am a smoker myself and it will kill me i have no doubt of that,

I have never touched any type of illegal drug, I cannot even stand taking the ones that the doctor prescribed

Roy