Friday
Mar232012
Why the tobacco escalator doesn't work
Friday, March 23, 2012 at 8:22 My post-Budget article for the Huffington Post is online.
To read it in full click here.
PS. Counterfeit cigarettes were featured on BBC Points West last night. I gave a short interview which was edited down to a soundbite.
Click here or on the image below. The item begins about five minutes in.
Reader Comments (4)
Well done Simon.
What a stupid comment from Smoekfree South West!
Prices have risen a lot in countries like Spain and for the people of those countries, the cost against there wages percentage wise makes their cigs for them as expensive as ours are here, so it is quite possible that such countries have a smuggling and illegal tobacco problem.
For us, the costs in Spain are still around half what they are here and that makes a huge saving on our legitimate cigs and will continue to do so, whilst the Spanish treasury reaps it's rewards from the many Brits who buy cigarettes in Spain and our treasury loses out, hand over fist, just as they do with drink!
We are off again in 3 weeks for the first of our 2 holidays to Majorca this year and on both of those holidays we will stock up with our cigs, for the 2 of us, for the next 6 months. We make sure that the UK treasury gets no tobacco related income from us!
The great thing is that because we buy so many the tobacconist keeps plying us with gifts, mostly it is drink they try to give us, but firstly we are not drinkers and don't like spirits and secondly the weight of booze is too much. We have ended up, in the past, with shopping bags on wheels, back pack cool bags, lighters, torches, T shirts and baseball caps; we just wish they could give us some free cigs!
Each year, more and more people are doing the same as us and while this is happening the government here are losing out and the rates of smoking do not decline. For the few that give up there are and always will be new smokers who start. Youngsters who start often do so as a rebellious act, and as you so rightly say, will be the ones most at risk from illegal tobacco and those who will be most avidly targetted by the peddlers of illegal tobacco.
Might be drastic, but I guess it is one way to get the youth unemployment figures down - or am I just being cynical - again?
I hope Lyn, that your MP is duly aware of how much is being lost to the treasury in this way - and long may it continue.
Always nice to rub their noses in it.
Not yet, John, but I might just copy the above and send it to her! Won't expect a response though, unless it is a complete and utter denial of the facts!
John, letter (email) duly sent to Harriet Baldwin, MP. Will await a response.
Do wish they would use email too, to save money, if nothing else. Instead I will have to wait for the snail mail!