Smoking Ban
Posted by Chris @ 1:21 pm
Well done, the MPs of England have made the best decision for our country's future for a long time. Thanks to the total smoking ban, I might start going to the pub more often to enjoy the fine real ales that can be found in delightful pubs across England.
However, I have to stop being cheery and rant a little. Watching BBC Breakfast this morning, it again managed to show what idiots live in our land. This particular small minded baffoon texted in that, now we've decided to ban smoking, and all these people are going to give up, where is the Chancellor of the day going to find the money to plug the gap in his tax revenues when people stop buying ciggys.
I couldn't believe it - he's obviously desperately grabbing at any excuse possible to stop the ban going through, because, if he'd stopped for 10 seconds and engaged his brain, perhaps the more logical side of it might have kicked in. His thought process might then have been more along the lines of:
- Smoking ban equals less people smoking
- Less people smoking means less tax for Brown (this is where he stopped and got out his phone, but should have continued)
- Less people smoking means less health problems for the nation
- Less strain on the NHS equals less money needed by the NHS to treat smoking related problems
- Plus the fines for places allowing smoking to happen
- Plus those hardcore smokers who won't give up, we'll tax them even more
- Equals very little difference in the budget. I'll put my phone away. (Sadly he didn't make it to this point.)
Obviously my maths might be wrong, but I think its a bit closer than the baffoon's! Anyway, that is my piece on the matter.
In summary, smoking bad. Ban good.
3 Comments
Thursday, February 16, 2006 2:27:00 pm
I hate to agree with a buffoon but there was a program on Radio 4 (I think) that worked out the figures for this particular argument and it appears that smokers contribute five times as much in tax as they cost the NHS.If everyone did stop smoking there very probably would be a shortfall.
Thank god for the hardcore smokers like Tim. :-)
This comment posted by Christian Briddon
Thursday, February 16, 2006 6:33:00 pm
Yes, the tax on cigarettes is astonishingly high. I can't believe people still actually buy manufactured cigs rather than smoking rollies which are much much much cheaper, and less chemically tasting.I also can't believe how dumb the governments stop smoking campaigns are. Speaking as someone who has quit, it is really frustrating watching all this money spent on campaigns that you know will fail and help not one person quit.
This comment posted by Chris
Wednesday, March 05, 2008 8:52:00 pm
I know how to stop smoking!I've done it already!!!
I'm not a smoker now!!!
This comment posted by Anonymous
Post a comment