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A comment on Things I still can't do in November 2014. Parent comment

Re:Things I still can't do in November 2014 by girvo on Sunday November 23, 2014 @07:58AM (#8648652)
As far as 30 is concerned, we already make smokers and drinkers pay more taxes through the various huge taxes on cigarettes and alcohol directly (at least in my country). It's not so far fetched, and if it reduces obesity then it's a net good for society.
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Re:Things I still can't do in November 2014 by frtab on Sunday November 23, 2014 @08:10AM (#8648679)
The equivalent of taxes on alcohol and cigarettes would be a tax on unhealthy food, not a tax on unhealthy people.
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Re:Things I still can't do in November 2014 by girvo on Tuesday November 25, 2014 @02:27AM (#8656733)
That was the solution I was implying, although I did so badly :)
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Re:Things I still can't do in November 2014 by flycaliguy on Sunday November 23, 2014 @04:15PM (#8649955)
Sit down with a social worker and try to explain the new weigh in system for a long list of reasons to abandon this concept entirely.

I don't even understand why this list is being taken seriously. The guy basically just said:

I want to have GPS for my dog, be able to buy nice art and, ya know, just live in a society governed by regulated physical fitness like some sort of Nazi.

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Re:Things I still can't do in November 2014 by snarfy on Sunday November 23, 2014 @08:22AM (#8648713)
Smokers die sooner and cost the system less. You should get a tax break for smoking. Forcing people's choices is not a net good for society.
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Re:Things I still can't do in November 2014 by DanBC on Sunday November 23, 2014 @08:41AM (#8648767)
> Smokers die sooner and cost the system less.

This is only true if you have high taxes on tobacco products. Those high taxes introduce other distortions -- smuggling of tobacco and increased use of counterfeit product. Smuggling is sometimes done by criminal gangs. Counterfeit product is considerably more harmful than actual products.

The reason we want to stop people from smoking has little to do with the fact that they die earlier, but that they live for years with reduced quality of life and that they harm the health of their children.

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Re:Things I still can't do in November 2014 by crdoconnor on Sunday November 23, 2014 @12:24PM (#8649251)
>This is only true if you have high taxes on tobacco products. Those high taxes introduce other distortions -- smuggling of tobacco and increased use of counterfeit product.

It also introduces other "distortions", like fewer people smoking, especially kids.

http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0146....

But, y'know. Free market uber alles.

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Re:Things I still can't do in November 2014 by DanBC on Sunday November 23, 2014 @01:42PM (#8649473)
I'm in favour of higher tobacco prices!

But the UK spends about £8bn treating smoking related illness and gets £12bn from excise duties and we have much higher rates on tobacco products. The UK taxes on cigarettes are high. About 77% of the price of a pack of 20 is tax.

> This is, according to the Treasury, equivalent to more than 2 pence on the basic rate of income tax or over 11 pence on the top rate of income tax. On a typical pack of 20 premium cigarettes the total tax burden of £6.17 ($9.66) ccounts for 77% of the recommended retail price (RRP) of £7.98 ($12.50)

http://www.the-tma.org.uk/policy-legislation/taxation/

The highest rate in the US is $6.16 (£3.19) (although most places in US have much lower tax rates).

http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0097....

When people smuggle cigarettes to sell illegally they don't care about minimum age laws, so you get children smoking counterfeit product:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2123054.stm

> Many are being bought by schoolchildren, according to trading standards officers in the borough of Camden, north London.

Counterfeit tobacco is a recurring problem in the UK.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-16786358

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4096911.stm

http://bbc.co.uk/news/health-28940681

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Re:Things I still can't do in November 2014 by snarfy on Sunday November 23, 2014 @08:47AM (#8648781)
Actually, it's true without any tobacco taxes.

http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fj...

>Because of differences in life expectancy, however, lifetime health expenditure was highest among healthy-living people and lowest for smokers.

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