Tobacco smuggling costs tax payers 2billion a year!

[dawny1970]

Quote:

 

Originally Posted by dawny1970

 

if its europe then you can bring back what you like, its not contraband, if this government taxes it a stupid amount then what do they expect

 

It is if they intend to sell it to someone else.

 

---------- Post added 10-10-2013 at 13:35 ----------

 

Quote:

 

Originally Posted by Bonzo77

 

When you can get cigarettes from Spain fpr less than half of the price, it becomes pretty clear that the government are ripping smokers off.

 

I always get my cigarettes from abroad. No chance I'm paying £8/9 a pack!

 

You're happy for tax payers money to fund the NHS that you will need when you get lung cancer though... Or will you be happy to pop over to Spain for treatment?

 

that tax they make covers 10% of total nhs, or in simple speak, all tobacco related illness

 

 

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[Anna Glypta]

Anyone care to hazard a guess why?

 

Why is the smuggling of tobacco on the increase?

 

The answer is pretty obvious!

 

Because people want an excuse for sitting outside the pub when it is wizzing it down with rain.

 

---------- Post added 10-10-2013 at 21:20 ----------

 

 

Except they don't die younger. They get cancer, or emphysema, or bronchitis, or COPD, or heart disease and they struggle on for years, costing the NHS tens of thousands every year to treat them. On top of that, they probably won't be healthy enough to work until retirement age, so the state not only loses their income tax but has to support them on welfare as well.

 

Maybe Cameron and the Tories should look at cutting benefits to those with smoking-related illnesses as well as the disabled and the under-25.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/23/smoking-cessation-life-expectancy/1858913/

 

Smoking shortens life span by at least 10 years

 

---------- Post added 10-10-2013 at 21:24 ----------

 

You can't tax overeating as easily as you can smoking.

 

I could go and eat at McDonalds now, .

 

But wouldn't you be paying VAT on it? And if you ate 20 you'd pay 20 times as much VAT.

[avidcameron]

Ever noticed how the people who get their cigarettes tax-free from abroad are often the people who are most vocal about 'benefit cheats' 'scrounging' off the state? The irony being that benefit fraud probably costs the state less than the £2bn in lost tobacco duty.

 

I thought the benefit cheats were the ones buying the hookie cigs.

 

PS It is impossible to cost benefit fraud-if it could be measured it could also be prevented.

 

---------- Post added 10-10-2013 at 20:31 ----------

 

Well the amount of benefit claimed fraudulently in the 2012/13 tax year was estimated at £1.3bn, so that bit does appear to be true. In my experience, many of the people who complain in pubs and smoking areas about welfare claimants are smoking smuggled fags, so that might be true as well.

 

---------- Post added 10-10-2013 at 17:36 ----------

 

 

Except they don't die younger. They get cancer, or emphysema, or bronchitis, or COPD, or heart disease and they struggle on for years, costing the NHS tens of thousands every year to treat them. On top of that, they probably won't be healthy enough to work until retirement age, so the state not only loses their income tax but has to support them on welfare as well.

 

Maybe Cameron and the Tories should look at cutting benefits to those with smoking-related illnesses as well as the disabled and the under-25.

 

Even to victims of passive smoking?

[RutlandFlyer]

Obviously not, but then it's pretty easy for doctors to tell a passive smoker from an active one. The question really is, why are smokers not getting the same treatment as others who are a drain on the NHS and welfare state? It's because the Tories know it would be unpopular with their core vote.

 

While measuring benefit fraud might be impossible, estimating it certainly is, as the DWP have done here: http:// https://www.gov.uk/government/news/benefit-fraud-and-error-hard-work-must-continue-to-cut-35bn-loss

[avidcameron]

Obviously not, but then it's pretty easy for doctors to tell a passive smoker from an active one. The question really is, why are smokers not getting the same treatment as others who are a drain on the NHS and welfare state? It's because the Tories know it would be unpopular with their core vote.

 

While measuring benefit fraud might be impossible, estimating it certainly is, as the DWP have done here: http:// https://www.gov.uk/government/news/benefit-fraud-and-error-hard-work-must-continue-to-cut-35bn-loss

 

The DWP are not exactly a proven force.They once has an 18 month backlog of asylum claims.

[GLASGOWOODS]

Obviously not, but then it's pretty easy for doctors to tell a passive smoker from an active one. The question really is, why are smokers not getting the same treatment as others who are a drain on the NHS and welfare state? It's because the Tories know it would be unpopular with their core vote.

 

While measuring benefit fraud might be impossible, estimating it certainly is, as the DWP have done here: http:// https://www.gov.uk/government/news/benefit-fraud-and-error-hard-work-must-continue-to-cut-35bn-loss

 

I would imagine the majority of people using the NHS have self-inflicted ailments...

[Shogun]

I Hate the stinking habit never smoked a fag in my life,never seen any rhyme or reason in the stupid habit..

[onewheeldave]

Anyone care to hazard a guess why?

 

Why is the smuggling of tobacco on the increase?

 

The answer is pretty obvious!

 

Because the amount of tax on tobacco is extortionate and a portion of the smoking public are willing to not pay tax when they believe they are being ripped off?

[taxman]

Because the amount of tax on tobacco is extortionate and a portion of the smoking public are willing to not pay tax when they believe they are being ripped off?

 

It's also a massive money earner for those smuggling the fags. If they drive 4 container lorries full of Latvian fags into Britain and 3 get stopped at the border (unlikely as that is) they'd still make a profit on the enterprise.

[Mecky]

Ever noticed how the people who get their cigarettes tax-free from abroad are often the people who are most vocal about 'benefit cheats' 'scrounging' off the state? The irony being that benefit fraud probably costs the state less than the £2bn in lost tobacco duty.

 

You had to bring people on benefits into this didn't you?