ASH would rather have the poor poorer
Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 13:40 Rishi Sunak will announce his first Budget tomorrow.
We may have a new chancellor but expect more of the same when it comes to sin taxes. The annual increase in tobacco duty is such a familiar announcement it barely gets a mention in the media.
For many years tobacco duty has risen in accordance with a so-called tobacco escalator that has been set at inflation plus two per cent. Naturally this isn't enough for the likes of ASH which has repeatedly called for the escalator to be increased to inflation plus five per cent.
Supported by ten public health organisations including Cancer Research UK, British Lung Foundation and British Heart Foundation, ASH wants the Chancellor 'to do more to reduce the affordability of tobacco products':
Specifically, charities want to see the Chancellor reintroduce the tax escalator and take steps to close the gap in tax between hand rolled tobacco and factory-made cigarettes. Most importantly they want to see Treasury backing for a new Smokefree 2030 Fund to deliver on the Government’s commitment for a smokefree country by 2030. The charities are calling for a specific levy on tobacco companies to raise a £300 million annual fund to pay for the measures needed to help more smokers quit and prevent children from taking up smoking.
See 'What will the Chancellor do for smokers this No Smoking Day?'.
Forest has responded by urging the Chancellor to "stop punishing smokers". Here's our full quote:
“The Treasury must stop punishing smokers because this annual assault on the pockets of ordinary people cannot continue.
“Reintroducing the tax escalator will push the poorest smokers further into poverty and drive illicit trade, putting smokers at even greater risk.
"Closing the gap in tax between hand-rolled tobacco and manufactured cigarettes is another spiteful attempt to target the less well off.
“A levy on tobacco companies will also penalise smokers because everyone knows it will be passed on to the consumer.
“The Chancellor has an opportunity to stand up for consumers who are willing to pay their fair share of tax but object strongly to being punished for a habit that already earns the Treasury over £10 billion a year.”
We shall see.
Update: Chancellor urged to ‘stop punishing smokers’ (Talking Retail)
Reader Comments (5)
Don't you just get fed up with being bullied by the likes of ASH and their publicly funded allies ? You get so cross. It would be so pleasing to inflict in some way the same bullying on these people.
Yes, it is time--actually past time--to stop punishing smokers. The deliberate vilification of smokers must end.
It is bullying by the state which has bowed to political pressure from a lobby group using charity status as a front. Boris should be ashamed of himself for allowing this abuse to continue - as should those knee jerk virtue signalling politicians who allow themselves to be led by the nose without even trying to speak and consult with those their bullying policies will hurt most.
Since this assault on smokers began n 1984, ASH and their stooges, will no doubt be delighted that smokers have been pushed into an identity that is not recognised as having human rights, smokers can now be made homeless and jobless, and health inequalities that did not exist before are now a daily occurance for smokers. Pushing smokers into criminality thanks to the creation of the black market, must be the icing n the cake for these so called "charities".
“ ... reintroduce the tax escalator ...”
Re-introduce? I thought it was “re-introduced” back in about 2010 (might have got the year wrong there). Surely what they really mean is that they want it “increased,” don’t they? Or have a missed something here? Because if so, and the escalator has been halted, then it certainly doesn’t seem to have had much effect. I certainly haven’t noticed the price of my smokes suddenly plummeting to sensible levels ...
You’re right, the escalator has been in place for much of the last decade, including recent years. However, I believe the commitment to the escalator has only run until the end of the relevant parliament. Therefore, following an election, it has to be renewed or, in ASH’s terminology, re-introduced.