Health experts are labelling the new government's plans to scrap smokefree legislation “vile” and “devastating”.
The tobacco industry brings in nearly $2 billion a year in tax revenue.
And incoming Finance Minister nicola willis has admitted that scrapping smokefree legislation will help fund tax cuts.
New Zealand's smoke-free laws are heading to the tip.
this is typical alarmist bullsh*t.
The smokefree laws that we have had for 20+ years are not being repealed. What is being repealed is the daft new law passed a few months ago that basically prohibits tobacco sales over time.
It baffles me that the very same people who argue cannabis should be legalised (which i agree with) think prohibition will work for tobacco. It won't.
Already the high tax levels of tobacco tax has seen the black market flourish. This latest law change would have turbo-charged that. Prohibition is a failed policy.
The law change being repealed was mainly going to result in tax from sales of cigarettes going to the Mongrel Mob, instead of the Crown.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.
4 comments:
Well put David.
It is nice to realise that so much of state housing expenditure is finaced by the occupants.I trust all consequent shortfalls in meeting essential living expenses are not made up by special needs grants.
It is widely accepted that non-smokers live 14 years longer than smokers on average.
That's 14 years of Super and health care costs that escalate after about 70.
So by smoking we are saving the State lots of money.
They should be subsidising our habit.
As for vaping........... I smoked for 55 years but gave up 3 days before returning to NZ from the Middle East as I refuse to pay all that tax on a pouch of Port Royal. I considered vaping but few things look as daft to me as someone sitting there blowing steam in and out of his/her head, so I didn't take it up.
I'll have the last laugh when I win Div 1 Lotto and can afford to smoke again.
And while we’re at it, keep the government out of our cars, our refrigerators and stoves, our bank accounts, our medical care, our security systems, our reading material, our cable connections, our emails and text messages, internet, social media, cellphones, or anything to do with our private lives.
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