Smoking ban

[Ardesco]

The "drinking will be targetted next" argument is fundamentally flawed. Smoking is banned on the back of smoking in the workplace laws. Passive drinking doesn't exist and drunken disorder is already an offence.

If the day ever arrives that we will be somehow restricted to 4 pints then I can cope (my liver could use a rest anyway).

It will be targetted as the next great way to make taxes!!! They won't reduce the amount you are allowed to drink (they haven't put a limit on how much you can smoke, just where you can do it) they make far too much money off it!!

Expect to see more taxes placed on bar owners so that they have to increase the cost of thier drink to pay the taxes, or doctors threatening to not treat you if you have more than x amount of units per week.

Expect to see on the spot fines for drinking in public as it will be restricted to licensed premises or your home only (That tramp with a hip flask is a good target for a £50 fine !!!).

You have to think out of the box!!

[Old Greg]

It will be targetted as the next great way to make taxes!!! They won't reduce the amount you are allowed to drink (they haven't put a limit on how much you can smoke, just where you can do it) they make far too much money off it!!

Expect to see more taxes placed on bar owners so that they have to increase the cost of thier drink to pay the taxes, or doctors threatening to not treat you if you have more than x amount of units per week.

Expect to see on the spot fines for drinking in public as it will be restricted to licensed premises or your home only (That tramp with a hip flask is a good target for a £50 fine !!!).

You have to think out of the box!!

Most of the parks round my way have banned alcoholic drinking through by-laws.

[Ardesco]

Most of the parks round my way have banned alcoholic drinking through by-laws.

See it's already started!!!

[ASB]

If general taxes have to rise because less tobacco is consumed, it'll be worth it (although I think smoking will still continue really, weak willed etc.)

It will be interesting to see what happens as a result of this. As a smoker I'm not in favour of the ban but it is largely for the good of others. Ok, so it removes my "right" to smoke in the pub. But the drink drive laws remove my "right" to get completely plastered, drive home and flatten a bus queue.

Back to the money point:

In Ireland tobacco sales have dropped by about 16% since the ban. Now here the NHS spends around 3 bln a year on smoking related disease. So it might save 500 mln - which could be used on other things (or more likely funding quietly curtailed).

The govenrment collects 8 bln a year in tobacco duties and another 1.5 in VAT on it at the point of sale. So the potential decline in governemnt revenue from here is about 1.6 bln. This equates to 0.25% of total public spending.

On top of this is the benefit etc that will be paid to the 16% of tobacco workers thrown out of work and the loss of profit and consequent loss of CT etc. Plus the losses within other business in the supply chain (and pubs loss of revenue as a result of it). Assume this gets to a total loss of 3.2 bln. This is getting very close to the amount raised by 1% in income tax.

It'll be vagualy interesting to see if this does happen, and how the gap is plugged - but a 16% drop off in tobacco usage would be enough to cause some adjustment to spending plans or revenue collection.

[shaunbhoy]

I don't buy this whole "HMG will lose loads of tax if smokers pack up" argument. Those who give up smoking will either save the money(if they have huge amounts of willpower which clearly they do not!) and pay tax on their savings, or will more likely just spend it elsewhere on something else that HMG taxes them on. All roads lead to the Treasury's coffers with NL, all you can do is alter the route it takes it seems.

[sasguru]

I don't buy this whole "HMG will lose loads of tax if smokers pack up" argument. Those who give up smoking will either save the money(if they have huge amounts of willpower which clearly they do not!) and pay tax on their savings, or will more likely just spend it elsewhere on something else that HMG taxes them on. All roads lead to the Treasury's coffers with NL, all you can do is alter the route it takes it seems.

Lucky they don't tax the hard of thinking and spouting tulipe, or you'd be a pauper, eh?

[shaunbhoy]

Lucky they don't tax the hard of thinking and spouting tulipe, or you'd be a pauper, eh?

I could always come to your for tips on how to cope though peabrain.


How are you making ends meet since they started taxing ugliness?

[ASB]

I don't buy this whole "HMG will lose loads of tax if smokers pack up" argument. Those who give up smoking will either save the money(if they have huge amounts of willpower which clearly they do not!) and pay tax on their savings, or will more likely just spend it elsewhere on something else that HMG taxes them on. All roads lead to the Treasury's coffers with NL, all you can do is alter the route it takes it seems.

There is evidence from some places where bans have been introduced that overall government revenues increases due to improving economic activity (as a result of the redirection of the funds). This seems to be in places where taxation of tobacco products was not as high. My previous point was that any gap - although potentially a fairly large amount - is not really great in the overall size of public spending.

[sasguru]

How are you making ends meet since they started taxing ugliness?

I'm so good looking I get a tax credit

[Bluebird]

don't know what all the fuss is about, we've had it in Wales for a while...