I have a theory that both our governments (UK & USA) do not want us to stop smoking, our government push us to stop - they give out patches, gum & hypnosis knowing that 90 odd percent will fail and continue to smoke, this leads to an earlier death and less pension payments. If a certain percentage give up ciggies, the powers that be are not concerned because they know there are more up and coming smokers in the schools to replace the ones that stop. I know we cost the health service millions in care etc' but i bet they save more by not paying pensions and benefits.
Cynical maybe, its all driven by money, why else would they control something that is better for us.
Sorry for the rant....
The next time a rabib ANTZ gives you the old "someday you'll get sick, and
I will have to pay for
your treatment" (As if he was the
only taxpayer in the country), hit him with any of the examples below:
1) Recently, an italian deputy in the EC asked the Parliament what was the EU thinking to do about the electronic cigarettes, because the Italian Government had already lost 7.8% in tobacco tax this year.
At this point, be sure to ask the ANTZ if he gets it: instead of being
happy, because
thanks to the e-cig, Italy had
saved 7.8% in health care, the deputy was
...... off because Italy had
lost 7.8% in revenue, due, in part, to the existence of the e-cig...
2) France had already prepared a raise in tobacco price to be effective sometime in the middle of this year. This raise had been pre-arranged with the tobacco producers, because along with the tax raise, the base price would also go up
(More taxes for me, more money for you...) It turns out that the decline in tobacco comsumption proved to be higher than expected in the beginning of the year... so, what did their Government do? Did they make good use of the pre-arranged raise, to convince even more people to quit smoking? (
Ask the ANTZ, "That would be the logical thing to do, if they were really losing money by 'treating smokers', right??") But no way... they renegotiated with the producers, and postponed the raise until (at least) the end of the year.
Lowering prices (or at least, not raise them, as was the case) when there's a fall in the demand of your products, is a basic measure companies employ, because they obviously want people to keep buying their stuff, right? Surely the ANTZ will understand it from the producer's view... and maybe he will finally understand that the Government also wants people to keep smoking, because,
despite of what the ANTZ has been told for years, Governments actually profit from tobacco sales.
You may even end the conversation by telling the ANTZ: "So, maybe one thay, if
you get sick,
I will have to pay for
your treatment with the sin tax I have been paying for years..."
