How Long Before Smoking Is Made Illegal?

Tefal said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7654153.stm

No it's still a massive loss.


Once all smoking related disease is gone you're going to have to find £6 billion+ in tax to make up for the profit you used to get from smoking (£9 billion in tax each year before health costs).


Then you've got to deal with the increased costs of people living longer and it's burden on the benefits system and NHS
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Exactly :).
I still laugh at people who say smokers cost money as an argument against smoking...
 
yeah, you have to admit it will be finny if the government goes

"right well we've banned smoking like you asked, now we're going to have to add an extra couple of % to income tax" :p
 
If you make smoking illegal, people will still buy it, or buy something else illegal.

I think the best way would be to legalise everything and at least you could a. make some money from it via taxation and control/take it out the hads of criminals.

EDIT: Legalise does not mean i agree with boots selling crack.
 
Too long. Id like it to happen tomorrow.

Unfortunaly the government makes a metric arse-tonne of revenue from it so it will probably never be scrapped.
 
Tefal said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7654153.stm

No it's still a massive loss.


Once all smoking related disease is gone you're going to have to find £6 billion+ in tax to make up for the profit you used to get from smoking (£9 billion in tax each year before health costs).


Then you've got to deal with the increased costs of people living longer and it's burden on the benefits system and NHS
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That's too simplistic a view to take. The money will go somewhere. If it isn't on cigarettes it will be on other products and services that will attract tax in their production and distribution. Probably not as much as cigarettes, but it could be the same. Either way, it doesn't need to be a product taxed as much as cigarettes, as you don't have to pay for the associated health costs.

And the burden on the benefits system from people living longer? What about the lost productivity from people who are too ill to work.
 
PMKeates said:
Really? Please explain how this economic activity is more profitable, long-term, than any other!
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He's right, cigarettes are highly taxed, plus so many people buy them every day. I'd imagine the amount paid in taxes on cigarettes every year must be absolutely phenomenal.
 
If smoking were outright banned it'd shove it underground, much the same way drugs are at the moment and we all know that prohibition didn't work and still isn't working.

The government currently chucks money away on a war on drugs that it's not winning. It's not going to add another drug to the ones it's outlawed when it already gives them massive tax benefits.

They'll keep increasing the tax on them though in an effort to deter people, I think.
 
Squark said:
I hope it gets banned very soon, I can't stand it
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Many people would say the same about religion.


Why should somones dislike of an activity have any leagal bearing on others who wish to indulge it?


So long as the activity doesn't harm anyone else.
 
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