Tobbaco Tax Hike. W.T.F?

[Caveoftreasures]

I have never smoked and never will. I could never see any reason to breathe anything but fresh air.

The fact that the government allows the product to be sold is a disgrace. From a health point of view, it is poison ofcourse. But living in a democracy, people are fairly allowed to chose to smoke or not. Statistics show, that 70 percent of hospital beds are taken up by smoking related diseases. Insanity.
And the healthcare system costs the government more per annum than smoking taxes will ever bring in. If the government gets rid of tobacco, and the billions per year it brings in, they will save billions in the health care system. Tobacco is a financial liability, not a money maker.

Cigarette products shld be available only via a chemist with a pre-skription, which after a period becomes "not available" so people do quit.

      For people who like smoking, and the hand to mouth action etc etc, why cant someone invent a "hybrid tobacco" that tastes like it, but has no dangerous chemicals. That way, if u have to smoke u can, without harming your health.

We live in a democracy, choice should be allowed. But unfortunately, it comes at a high financial and health price. Each to their own.

[ajlaird]

Before medical science realised how damaging smoking was, cigarettes were very widely used in the mid 20th century.

The trouble with banning cigarettes completely is that they would go black market, so it makes sense to still allow them to be sold.

It also makes sense to tax them to pay for the cost of the health consequences. Should fatty fast food be similarly taxed? Probably...

[chris288]

Dont you like the way the bastards say "this will raise an extra 4 or 5 Billion $$ in the next year or two, when their estimates are obviously based on the amount of people who currently smoke and will continue to smoke, so they themselves dont actually think it will decrease the amount of smokers.

Now that is just a blatant tax grab.

As far as the old argument about smokers being a drain on the health system goes, that is just utter bullsh*t.
How much tax does the average smoker contribute to the system over a lifetime. Heaps!! and not all of them burden the health system.
How many other people are in hospital for self inflicted diseases ailments or injuries. Grossly obese people, people injured in car accidents because they were drunk or just plain stupid, drug abusers etc etc the list goes on.

Quite simply if everyone gave up the gaspers the Guvverment really would be in a pickle as to how to replace that money.

The ones I really feel sorry for are the pensioners, many of whom are by all accounts doing it tough and having a fag is their only pleasure.

[ddstoys]

The way i look at things might seem a bit odd but to ease the burden on the health system..   Stop reviving drug addicts who OD. Stop giving liver transplants to Alcos and lung transplant to smokers etc i wont put my hand up for a new liver when i kill mine i new the risk (Give them to kids etc who deserve them) .   And allow euthinasia and empty a few beds of the dying who would rather just die with whatever dignity they have left.

All Politicians are dickheads but sadly we have to live with them

[johnwartjr]

The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer...

because in both cases, neither side changes what they are doing :)

[pinnies4me]

Statistics show, that 70 percent of hospital beds are taken up by smoking related diseases. Insanity.

I don't think that percentage is correct, but I appreciate the idea, smoking is a huge preventable burden on the system. Trouble is, like petrol, most of the tax component goes to consolidated revenue. Nothing like the full amount of tax collected from petrol goers to road funding, and nothing like the full tax collected from smokes goes to hospital/health funding. The government is as addicted to smoking (for the revenue it raisers) as are the poor smokers.

[Caveoftreasures]

The percentage quoted (70 percent) was quoted directly from a doco showing the state of Australias health system viewed on the ABC, commissioned by the Rudd Federal Government.

70 percent of all long term bed usage in hospital is related to smoking attributed illnesses. look at how many people who are today in their late fifties and 60's did smoke all of their lives. the percentage is huge. probably 80 percent of those generations were heavy smokers, both men and women.

Sadly, some of these people who stopped smoking, still ended up dying from smoking related diseases 20 years later anyway. Life is too short as it is than to poison ya self. The government is to blame for allowing such a devastating product with chemicals designed to create addiction.



 

[beaky]

so if all of us smokers gave up then where would the Gov' get all the money for its health upgrades?
I don't agree to the 70% thing either, if you go into the E.R. on a friday or saturday night it is full of idiots who can't handle their alcohol & idiots with Illegal drug related problems.
If they really wanted to get people to quit then they would subsidies all the quit smoking products with the tobbaco tax.
And as some one mentioned the Gov' relies on smokers smoking.
Their are many ways to stop people from smoking, I like bretts idea about making people see a doctor, but they should get the doctors to ween people off the tabbaco. the tobbaco black market will thrive for a while but if they make all smoking products illegal (papers, filters, filter tubes) then most people will give up. some people will still continue to smoke chop chop, you wont be able to stop that but it will also stop a lot of teenagers from starting the habbit in the first place.

Also they can raise the age for tobbaco sales to 21.

I enjoy having a smoke but i hate being a slave to them, and I hate what they are doing to my health.

another thing the Gov' should do is change the process that is used to make the tobbaco (all the chemicals that are used in the processing stage). I am sure they could make the way that it is processed healthier.

It comes down to why is the government allowing this product to be sold? people say its because of democracy, but there are less smokers than non smokers. and if this was the case then you would be able to by marijuana because you have a choice. then our hospitals would need more psychiatric facilities to accomodate all the extra dope smokers.

[Caveoftreasures]

70 percent relates to long term hospital bed users, not 2 hour bed users on a friday night due to too much piss.

[ROLLERBALL]

[beaky]

70 percent relates to long term hospital bed users, not 2 hour bed users on a friday night due to too much piss.

thats strange, when i was in hospital (having a lung transplant)  not one person was in there due to smoking 

[Caveoftreasures]

Hey Andy, I got a funny one for you.

When u were here the other day, standing out the front having a cigarette, my 9 yr old daughter Maddi asked her mum
"how many toes does Andrew have", her mum said "why", maddi said '"cause when he smokes, do his toes drop off and go green".  
Being the cheeky little shit she is, she then asked, does Andrews fingers and doodle drop off next, after his toes go green. Farkk, i just cracked up bad.  

I said i hope not, i need his hands to keep my pinball machines working ! Ya better quit mate before they drop off hey !  

The kids have just done smoking education at school.
Any parent seen near the school, ever smoking, is chastised badly for smoking where the kids can see it and the kids are encouraged to dob in smokers etc.


 

[beaky]

Hey Andy, I got a funny one for you.

When u were here the other day, standing out the front having a cigarette, my 9 yr old daughter Maddi asked her mum
"how many toes does Andrew have", her mum said "why", maddi said '"cause when he smokes, do his toes drop off and go green".  
Being the cheeky little shit she is, she then asked, does Andrews fingers and doodle drop off next, after his toes go green. Farkk, i just cracked up bad.  

I said i hope not, i need his hands to keep my pinball machines working ! Ya better quit mate before they drop off hey !  

The kids have just done smoking education at school.
Any parent seen near the school, ever smoking, is chastised badly for smoking where the kids can see it and the kids are encouraged to dob in smokers etc.


 

sounds like a good program, education is the best prevention,