Smoking

[Reverandfunk]

As a smoker I invariably get the comments filthy habit, bad for you etc etc which I accept, but then again so is drinking and obesity, all of which put similar strains on the NHS. However, how would you feel about income tax going up by a further 7/8 pence in the pound if smoking was banned and no duty raised from the sale of cigarettes.

[Loosehead]

Smoking costs a lot more than it contributes, the head line figure of 2billion cost v 8 billion contribution is just the quantifiable direct cost. Smoking costs far more than it contributes if you include all the indirect costs, eg disabled Children being born and needing care all their lives, fires started through smoking, cleaning up the filth, etc etc I could go on. To answer the question, no one would like an increase of course but I don't think it would happen. Initially there would be a taxation short fall but we would soon be ahead of the game. Income tax only contributes a small amount of the total tax revenue anyway so I guess if a rise is needed it would go on indirect things anyway.

[melons]

i am a smoker and i think it is a filfthy habit... ok dont all attack me, however if you think about it we just pour money down the toilet everytime we smoke. apart from giving us so many different problems its not adding anything to sociaity is it? maybe if they didn have cigs the extra rise could could on using it for something good like making certain drugs available to people who really need them. There is something similar in Body & Souli think they get to much money from the sales so they excuse the sale by adding SMOKING KILLS to the back of packets! I would personally prefer to pay an extra 7/8pence, its less than i pay out each week for Fags!

[alijangra]

The figure of 7/8 pence in the pound is based on what? Is this a realistic figure based on fact?