chem1st Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 ..."The tobacco tax disproportionately effects the poorest people in society anyhow." You are certainly right there "Mr Windup"..................it helps raise taxes to pay their benefits,...................................so they can buy fags! No it does not. The majority of benefits are paid to pensioners, the disabled and people in work anyhow. The highest rates of smoking are found in the poorest of our society. The tobacco tax is highly regressive. That's not a wind up that's a fact! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Expat owl Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 You don't have to pay DUTY though. You can bring back baccy from other places in the EU. If the government didn't raise the tax so high, perhaps people would pay it. The tobacco tax disproportionately effects the poorest people in society anyhow. Perhaps they should abolish it completely and bring in a poll tax so non smokers and DUTY free smokers pay their dues. Seems that absolutely everything appears to disproportionately effect the poorest. It's a personal choice whether to smoke and therefore the stupid will continue to smoke. Perhaps it's just that there are a disproportionate number of poor who are also stupid !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyofborg Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 What is the matter with you? He was cold and lonely under Hillfoot Bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discodown Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 You don't have to pay DUTY though. You can bring back baccy from other places in the EU. If the government didn't raise the tax so high, perhaps people would pay it. The tobacco tax disproportionately effects the poorest people in society anyhow. Perhaps they should abolish it completely and bring in a poll tax so non smokers and DUTY free smokers pay their dues. No it doesn't. It disproportionately affects tobacco consumers. If the poor choose to consume tobacco thats their problem. Nobody makes them. Tobacco is a luxury good that masquerades as a giffin good. Its taxed the way that it is in order to dissuade you from buying it. This doesn't work hence the thriving black market. Theres no way though that anyone can pretend that its an essential item that the poor require to get by. They may want it but they don't need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vague_Boy Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 or more likely mortgages they can't afford and cant shift their houses because nobody is buying Or maybe. Just maybe..... The asking price is too high!!!!!!!!! This is not 2007 "height of the bubble" territory ANY MORE! Pricing as though it is, well, a "greater fool" *might* turn up. Or they might not. After all, if it's case of people being stuck with "mortgages they can't afford" when interest rates are at multi-century lows. Maybe, just maybe, they paid too much in the first place. Just an idea mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrod Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Seems that absolutely everything appears to disproportionately effect the poorest. It's a personal choice whether to smoke and therefore the stupid will continue to smoke. Perhaps it's just that there are a disproportionate number of poor who are also stupid !!!Now that's the sort of truth that will really have the lefties foaming at the mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chem1st Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 No it doesn't. It disproportionately affects tobacco consumers. If the poor choose to consume tobacco thats their problem. Nobody makes them. With certain drugs, choice seldom comes into it. Especially highly addictive drugs like nicotine! People get brought up addicted due to passive smoking and what not, like heroin, meth and crack babies in some respects. The poor smoke and tobacco tax is highly regressive, both in the sense of targeting poorer people generally and also by being a nominal tax rather than a one taking into account income. Tobacco is a luxury good that masquerades as a giffin good. It is neither a luxury good (some of the poorest people in the world smoke - 1/3 of the Chinese smoke and they are supposedly poor compared to us!)or a giffen good, as prices rise, people buy less! Its taxed the way that it is in order to dissuade you from buying it. It is taxed highly to generate revenue, they say they do it to disuade people from smoking. This doesn't work hence the thriving black market. Agreed. Theres no way though that anyone can pretend that its an essential item that the poor require to get by. They may want it but they don't need it. It may not be essential for one to survive, but many hungry smokers given a choice between baccy and food will pick the baccy! Even the Jews in concentration camps smoked. Cigarettes were worth more than GOLD! People are always going to smoke and even if you ban it outright people will still smoke. Even the poorest, the market will provide, because people do require it and they will make sure they can get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Or maybe. Just maybe..... The asking price is too high!!!!!!!!! This is not 2007 "height of the bubble" territory ANY MORE! Pricing as though it is, well, a "greater fool" *might* turn up. Or they might not. After all, if it's case of people being stuck with "mortgages they can't afford" when interest rates are at multi-century lows. Maybe, just maybe, they paid too much in the first place. Just an idea mind. You aren't wrong, but if you paid £150k and have a mortgage for £130k, you'd be a bit of a plank to sell it for £120k or less. There's alot of handwringing when it comes to house prices but little in the way of solution apart from rampant inflation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeX Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 one comment on that news article says it all really: Bag of potatoes £1, carrots, 50p, parsnips £1,onions 50p, tin of chopped tomatoes 40p, packet of veggi sausage mix 70p, basics pasta around 40p. That's £4.50 and I've already got 2 meals there to feed roughly 3 - 4 people. Nothing to do with being poor its to do with being lazy. They might not be the fanciest meals but they feel a hole and are relatively nutritious. People need to learn to cook. I was talking to my brother in law whose family live in squallor and claim to be poor but they seem to have enough to buy a bottle of vodka every day! I am by no means rich but we eat well because I know how to cook and I am not to proud to buy basics ranges in the supermarkets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Now that's the sort of truth that will really have the lefties foaming at the mouth. By the way Conrod did you know that researchers have found that Conservatism is linked to low intelligence? http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/study-links-low-intelligence-with-right-wing-beliefs/article2325323/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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