Originally posted by northernladyuk
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Correct.
Correct.
Do taxes on cigarettes bring in enough revenue to cover what smoking costs the government?
We know they bring in about £12 billion in direct tax revenues, although that doesn't count other contributions of the tobacco industry to total tax take (for instance income tax paid by employees).
And the cost side of this equation is even trickier to pin down.
Estimates suggest costs anywhere between £3 billion and £6 billion for NHS treatments in a given year. In the longer term the total cost might be lower, since some of those who die prematurely due to smoking might otherwise have gone on to cost the service even more money due to other health conditions.
We know they bring in about £12 billion in direct tax revenues, although that doesn't count other contributions of the tobacco industry to total tax take (for instance income tax paid by employees).
And the cost side of this equation is even trickier to pin down.
Estimates suggest costs anywhere between £3 billion and £6 billion for NHS treatments in a given year. In the longer term the total cost might be lower, since some of those who die prematurely due to smoking might otherwise have gone on to cost the service even more money due to other health conditions.
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