Rich people are far less likely to smoke, and when they do they don't smoke enough to make up for the imbalance so this is by its very definition a regressive tax policy that affects lower class communities the hardest.

And I'm just not sure I can get down with your intolerance. Smokers are people too. I know a tremendous number of them having made friends with my working class neighborhood in Brooklyn as well as my father. Passive smoking sucks but shaming people who smoke isn't really the answer just like shaming people who are overweight is also a tremendously shitty thing to do.

I'm not talking about shaming. But I think it's a right thing to penalize people who smokes, at least financially. How else ? It is the same thing for marijuana I believe.

If both the supply and demand are high, but the health effect are bad, it's fair to introduce a tax.

It doesn't have a lot to do with regressive tax policies, which are based either on income or wealth, you can't apply that to tobacco products.

Next time are we going to argue about the tax on heroin once it's legal ? Public health policies are tricky because markets force are involved with addiction forces.

You can though. When someone says raising tobacco taxes will increase government coffers by X, they're effectively levying that tax primarily on lower and lower middle class families since those communities are more likely to smoke cigarettes.

I'm left wing, to me smoking is bad, there is just no fucking excuse. People can smoke, but it's a luxury and it comes with a price.

What happens to heroin addicts when the regular dealer go to prison ? They stop using.

It's a shitty situation in every way. There is just no way you can defend a lower tax on cigaret, except maybe if you're anti government. People will choose to buy food and rent before buying cigarets. At least it will reduce their smoking habits.

It's not just about funding government, it's also about discouraging people from buying cigarets. I honestly don't see any other way. Prohibiting would not work, it's a matter of game theory and a fine balance between smuggling cigarets and people buying them.

And honestly the cigaret tax paid is nothing compared to other taxes.

>the rich pay the tax too

The rich don't pay the tax in proportion to their wealth, so it is by definition regressive. The rich will have a minuscule incentive to quit, while the poor will have a huge incentive to quit.

>some countries fund the health programs caused by smoking thanks to those taxes

The poor shouldn't pay a higher rate to fund health programs than the wealthy.

> you got to stop finding excuses about smoking, smokers are addicts

So are coffee drinkers. Do you give them a hard time?

I'm addicted to board games, too.

if they are constantly on edge because of coffee, I would.