$100-a-pack cigarettes pondered by New Zealand

[pandr]

$100-a-pack cigarettes pondered by New Zealand
Aim is to curb smoking
CBC News Posted: Apr 24, 2012 4:40 PM ET

The New Zealand government is seeking to reduce the percentage of smokers in the country from 15 to 5 per cent by 2025. (Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters)The government of New Zealand is considering boosting the cost of a pack of cigarettes to $100 by 2020, according to an internal document obtained by a news station.

A working paper presented to the country’s Health Minister Tony Ryall recommended a drastic price hike to reduce smoking in young people, reported 3 News Television.

The TV station had obtained the discussion paper through a freedom of information request.

The paper recommends an initial $60 price hike in 2013 and then 10 per cent every year until it hits $100.

The document comes from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER), which said that a goal of an almost smoke-free country is achievable by 2025 if the government took extreme measures in terms of pricing.

NZIER’s paper said a test simulation discovered a massive price boost in the first year would cut the number of people smoking by half in just a year.

“Tobacco taxation is the single most effective intervention available to drive down smoking prevalence figures,” concluded the paper.

The government’s goal is to reduce the portion of smokers in the country to 5 per cent by 2025.

At the moment, there are an estimated 650,000 smokers in New Zealand – which is about 15 per cent of its total population of 4.37 million.
C/P CBC News

[sundayme]

WOW there is going to be around 650,000 armed robberies in New Zealand by 2025
Are they freaking nuts crime will go up,you cannot force a smoker to quit,even by an increase.

[pandr]

WOW there is going to be around 650,000 armed robberies in New Zealand by 2025
Are they freaking nuts crime will go up,you cannot force a smoker to quit,even by an increase.

Ya think $100 a pack smokes might not even entice the most, no pun intended, die hard, smoker to quit? My math says a pack a day for a year would be about $36,500 bucks a year. Pretty nice Winter vacation in the Bahamas?;)

[FTA]

itd be better to give pfizer yer money and get some champix at that price.

[pandr]

Maybe..........

14448

[fta@#$%^&]

when i smoked, a 100$ pack still wouldnt make me quit lol maybe cut down tho. been smoke free[ thanks to champex] for 2 yrs now after a 47 yr habit

[satchick]

It might have an effect for like...a week? I suppose they've never heard of contraband before, all this will do is drive the business underground, and instead of the government collecting some tax revenue, all of the profit will end up in the pockets of criminals.

[Terryl]

Hummmm Tobacco plants....... Icky Pucky......now where did I leave those barrels of agent Orange? And my black helicopter?


Totally eradicate the plant from the Bio-sphere, then make it a death penalty to grow and sell the junk, that's what the BTC are doing, killing people, they killed my Aunt, two of my Cousins, and a couple of good Friends.

If I had my way the stuff would not be around for too long, nor anyone trying to sell it.

[MacBurglar]

Increasing the price of cigarettes dramatically will just bring in illegal cigarettes. The government will only lose.

[JCO]

It might have an effect for like...a week? I suppose they've never heard of contraband before, all this will do is drive the business underground, and instead of the government collecting some tax revenue, all of the profit will end up in the pockets of criminals.

I agree at 100$ a pack it will be the new money maker for smugglers..Then there will be indoor growers, medical tobacco cards...LOL

[slugworth]

I just got my seeds a couple of weeks ago.
Like Charlton Heston said in soylent green;"if I had the money I would smoke one or two of these a day"

[swanone]

Hummmm Tobacco plants....... Icky Pucky......now where did I leave those barrels of agent Orange? And my black helicopter?


Totally eradicate the plant from the Bio-sphere, then make it a death penalty to grow and sell the junk, that's what the BTC are doing, killing people, they killed my Aunt, two of my Cousins, and a couple of good Friends.

If I had my way the stuff would not be around for too long, nor anyone trying to sell it.

Amen !

[Terryl]

I have a good idea on how to stop this terrible killer.

Make it a prescriptive drug, sell-able only in drug stores and pharmacy's, you need a smoke that bad you go to your REAL doctor to get a prescription.

To wean our young away from this killer, if their under 21they can't get a prescription, we put the ones caught without a prescription into a reform school, the adults just go to jail, (and a smoke free jail at that) dry them out, the reform schools and smoke free jails will be funded by the BTC till they go broke.

If the Big Tobacco Company's try and fight this, they are taken out and shot, or put in prison for life without parole, they are killers anyway, who would miss them.

One big step in stopping this terrible killer is to make ALL casinos, bars, clubs, and other places world wide, smoke free.

Anyone caught smuggling tobacco gets the death penalty, with out the chance of an reprieve or appeal, this will stop the smugglers dead in their tracks.


As you all can see, I don't like cigarettes or cigars, I use to smoke when I was in the service, but quit over 45 years ago, I had the will to do so, those that smoke now should too.

No one smokes on my property, anywhere.

[pandr]

I have a good idea on how to stop this terrible killer.

Make it a prescriptive drug, sell-able only in drug stores and pharmacy's, you need a smoke that bad you go to your REAL doctor to get a prescription.

To wean our young away from this killer, if their under 21they can't get a prescription, we put the ones caught without a prescription into a reform school, the adults just go to jail, (and a smoke free jail at that) dry them out, the reform schools and smoke free jails will be funded by the BTC till they go broke.

If the Big Tobacco Company's try and fight this, they are taken out and shot, or put in prison for life without parole, they are killers anyway, who would miss them.

One big step in stopping this terrible killer is to make ALL casinos, bars, clubs, and other places world wide, smoke free.

Anyone caught smuggling tobacco gets the death penalty, with out the chance of an reprieve or appeal, this will stop the smugglers dead in their tracks.


As you all can see, I don't like cigarettes or cigars, I use to smoke when I was in the service, but quit over 45 years ago, I had the will to do so, those that smoke now should too.

No one smokes on my property, anywhere.

Tall order my friend. Take the smokes out of bars and casino's still leaves the bars and casino's. Two more addictions that are out there.
I guess the deal is, don't start.