LOL @ smoke tax increase!

[Maha]

I totally agree with you. The gluberment is going to get our money one way or an other, just they would rather do it without there being associated costs to the health care system, thus they discourage smoking.
Increasing the smoking tax does not make the gluberment more money, it just means you have less money to spend on other thing (which are also taxed).

...or, stop smoking and have a shit load more money to spend on other things....choice is a wonderful, (but sometimes misused) thing.

[ducatilover]

Two and a half years without a smoke and around $10,000 of my money that went else where...good to be able to change bikes every 2-3 years.

Jeez mate! I'll only save $780 a year if I stop now

[FJRider]

I'm not saying they don't, but it's madness to leave someone in a chair just because they smoke... especially when they've paid more towards the health service than most, even if the others have their shitty diets and poor lifestyle choices.

In the pursuit of their habit ... they pay (paid) a tax that was (is) collected by the goverment. Private health insurance companies do not like their clients dying on the operating table ... it kind of looks bad for them. Plus the life insurance payout they then need to pay out on doesn't go well with their budgets ....

Urgent and life threatning (not necessarily the essential treatment to maintain normal life) medical care is paid for (By ACC actually) ... on the waiting list system, in the order of priority.

Those that smoke, and expect all their smoking related illnesses to be fully funded and treated with total urgency, as and when the problems occur .... may be subject to disappointment. And discomfort ... during the wait for treatment.

[bluninja]

Those that smoke, and expect all their smoking related illnesses to be fully funded and treated with total urgency, as and when the problems occur .... may be subject to disappointment. And discomfort ... during the wait for treatment.

doctors tend to treat people based on whether the treatment will work or not. If they have limits on their time and funding then they will prioritise those that medically have the best outcome from the treatment. Being overweight, drinking, smoking, and pre existing medical conditions factor into the medical process. My aunt smoked, drank, and was overweight and needed a quadruple heart bypass. The doctor said she was not a good candidate for the procedure. She went away stopped drinking and smoking and lost about 25 kgs...she went back and had the operation successfully. It's all about choices.

[FJRider]

It's all about choices.

Yep ... I have heard many smokers laugh and say (as they light up) "you have to die of something" ...

What they fail to realise is ... that death can usually be expected to be a slow ... and uncomfortable one.

Is it a laughing matter ... ???

But you are right ... IT IS THEIR CHOICE ...

[Usarka]

I stopped ten days ago. Second longest break since I started nearly thirty years ago.

AND I AM GOING TO FUCKING KILL SOMEONE SOON.

Why wait???

[Maha]

Jeez mate! I'll only save $780 a year if I stop now

Tea bags or Leaves?....

[Zedder]

Yep ... I have heard many smokers laugh and say (as they light up) "you have to die of something" ...

What they fail to realise is ... that death can usually be expected to be a slow ... and uncomfortable one.

Is it a laughing matter ... ???

But you are right ... IT IS THEIR CHOICE ...

Yes, it is very much their choice.

However, what if there were no cigarettes anymore? What do you think people would spend their money on once they had stopped smoking?

[Edbear]

troll.

Who me...?

In the pursuit of their habit ... they pay (paid) a tax that was (is) collected by the goverment. Private health insurance companies do not like their clients dying on the operating table ... it kind of looks bad for them. Plus the life insurance payout they then need to pay out on doesn't go well with their budgets ....

Urgent and life threatning (not necessarily the essential treatment to maintain normal life) medical care is paid for (By ACC actually) ... on the waiting list system, in the order of priority.

Those that smoke, and expect all their smoking related illnesses to be fully funded and treated with total urgency, as and when the problems occur .... may be subject to disappointment. And discomfort ... during the wait for treatment.

Insurance companies are all about risk and they ate there to make money. They will back healthy people to the limit but won't risk any motte than they have to on unhealthy people or those at greater risk of costing them money. If you want to argue the risk factor of smoking just ask the insurance companies. Nothing to do with the Govt. as the Govt. takes advice from industry specific people and companies that actually know their stuff. All arguments for smoking are made by those who smoke and don't want to quit.

I tend to agree with the personal responsibility motion, if you are going to deliberately flout the law or engage in activity that is clearly contrary to medical advice, you should accept that in the event you suffer for your actions you forsake your claim on the Govt. to bail you out.

[Mad-V2]

In New Zealand I was paying $2808 NZD a year on smoking (Port Royal 50g a week, now $54 each)
By moving to Australia I'm only paying around $1890 NZD for the exact same product.
To me, that means the govt is making roughly $918 profit per smoker a year.
I'd say the Australian health care system would be similar to ours if not better, and they'd tax smokers to "cover the cost of care" also.
Free country - Yea Right

[caspernz]

Nothing wrong with discouraging smoking. The health benefits are obvious enough, all numbers and costs aside.

Cancer cures smoking.

The cigarette smokes, you're just the sucker.

Simple way of thinking, suits me.

[FJRider]

In New Zealand I was paying $2808 NZD a year on smoking (Port Royal 50g a week, now $54 each)
By moving to Australia I'm only paying around $1890 NZD for the exact same product.
To me, that means the govt is making roughly $918 profit per smoker a year.
I'd say the Australian health care system would be similar to ours if not better, and they'd tax smokers to "cover the cost of care" also.
Free country - Yea Right

Your belief that ALL the money you pay for tobacco ... goes directly to the goverment .... is almost funny. But they are not the only people making money out of it.

The $918 "profit" you mention is just the difference in counter price ... try researching the tax take on Aussie smokes ...

And if you believe the tax wont go up over there too ... you are too trusting ... some may say deluded.

[Mad-V2]

Your belief that ALL the money you pay for tobacco ... goes directly to the goverment .... is almost funny. But they are not the only people making money out of it.

The $918 "profit" you mention is just the difference in counter price ... try researching the tax take on Aussie smokes ...

And if you believe the tax wont go up over there too ... you are too trusting ... some may say deluded.

I never said the govt gets every cent, and I do believe tax will go up here. It goes without saying
The tobacco company would only get about $11 of the sale on one 50g as seen on this site where you can buy pretty much direct from the factory. And I'd say that price would include all costs to manufacture the product.
I already did the research and found New Zealand charge an extra $7 NZD than Australia on 50 grams of Port Royal.
Thats a large increase if you work it annually, and times it by the amount of smokers in N.Z
I also doubt the retailers are getting much of the $44 remaining.
Another more simple example is when I go through duty free at the airport
I can get 5, 50 grams of park drive for around $130 NZD, but from a normal shop it would cost me $265!
Either way it's a fuckin joke.

[Oakie]

Yes, However the cost of smoking related illness in NZ is around $250 million. The revenue gained from ciggarette taxation per year prior to the tax increases recently and future increases was $1.6 billion. Doubt my figures google it. So the net profit from ciggarette taxation is around $1.3 billion. Even if the government is saving 250 mil from banning smoking its still going to be 1.3bil in the hole.

2 to 2.5 BILLION actually. Well that was the figure quoted on an articlwe about it tonight.

[Edbear]

2 to 2.5 BILLION actually. Well that was the figure quoted on an articlwe about it tonight.

I watched and heard that too. I have issues with arguments that don't reference such as statistics. It's not hard to verify the figures you post.