Will the chewing gum tax cost you anything?

vinnyfitz

The Government is planning to tax chewing gum 5 cents a pack.
They seem to estimate the average Irish person consumes 25 packs a year.

How will this effect you?

angeldelight

Don't think it will at all tbh. I never know how much the stuff costs anyway, I just hand over a euro and pocket the change to put in big jar of small coins when I get home... I'm sure a lot of ppl do the same. I agree with it cause they'll have more money to remove the chewing gum from the streets but it won't stop ppl throwing it there in the first place!

Flukey

It won't effect me as I never touch the stuff. How do we stop the people littering the place, chewing gum or other items. We really are bad. It is terrible watching people casually throwing something on the ground. It is worse still when they are near a bin. It is as easy to throw it in that as on the ground. If you are at a large gathering, like a match, and exhibition, as show etc., it is amazing how much rubbish people leave behind them. They could just as easily take it with them and dump it in the nearest bin. That is what I do. It is usually easy to carry stuff after you have finished with it, because it is now and empty bag or package or whatever, yet people just leave it there. If I am walking along the street and I see something lying on the ground and there is a bin close by, I will often pick it up and put it into the bin. Very simple to do so do it. If everyone did that, or better still, not throw it there in the first place, we'd have a much cleaner country. A simple change of habit and mentality is all that is needed, but unfortunately some people just don't give a damn.

billy the squid

Isnt chewing gum illegal in singapore,

Make chewing gom illegal ban it or else make it the same price as twenty cigarettes

Rb

Congratulations, You're an outstanding citizen.
If you look at most large,well developed european citys you'll see the streets are clean, and hopefully some day Dublin will join them.
I reckon it's kids though, I mean, most people over the age of 18 will put stuff in bins, but kids have no problem just dropping it and walking away.
Today when I was on my way home, I came across a kid,a tmost 6 years old,trying to jam an empty bottle in between a street light and a wall, and I stopped and told him to put it in a bin(just down the road) and the little f*cker threw it at me, laughed, and then threatened me with who his brother happened to be "hey'll bay ye" i was told.
You'll notice that alot though, kids leave a huge amount of litter around and its only when someone who they respect tells them to put stuff in bins that it'll actually end up in a bin(90% of the time), other than that they just couldnt give a ****e.

impr0v

The latest of the proposed stealth taxes has the potential to bankrupt me. Since quitting smoking nearly a year ago I've become a Phenylalanine freak, working my way through entire rubber plantations in a single day, jaw muscles bulging like Sir Alex after a champions league match. Now in fairness, 5 cent isn't overly punitive, but I'll have to pay it despite religiously wrapping the stuff and storing it until I'm near a bin.

At least once the tax comes in, I won't have the hassle of doing that, I can dump it on whatever street I'm on, since I'm paying for that privilege, and safe in the knowledge that my five cents per pack has been ring-fenced for spending exclusively on cleaning it up. That's the way it works, isn't it?

billy the squid

Jeez I hope you dont have the same atitude when it comes to plastic bags after the 15 cent levy comes out.

The bank receipts from ATM should also be gotten rid of. That is why we have bank statements.

I still think chewing gum should be made illegal. you see young fellas and young wans wacking around like cows chewing the cud.

simu

impr0v wrote:

The latest of the proposed stealth taxes has the potential to bankrupt me. Since quitting smoking nearly a year ago I've become a Phenylalanine freak, working my way through entire rubber plantations in a single day, jaw muscles bulging like Sir Alex after a champions league match. Now in fairness, 5 cent isn't overly punitive, but I'll have to pay it despite religiously wrapping the stuff and storing it until I'm near a bin.

Heh, doesn't eating a lot of that stuff have a laxative effect?!

As for the tax, it won't affect me at all as I never eat chewing gum. In fact, I don't see the point of it at all - why not just chew sweets?

therecklessone

billy the squid wrote:

The bank receipts from ATM should also be gotten rid of. That is why we have bank statements.

ATM receipts are proof of a transaction having taken place. A bank statement can be wrong (as I have learnt on far too many occasions).

Hobbes

billy the squid wrote:

Isnt chewing gum illegal in singapore,

In that you can't buy it there. But you can import it or bop over the border and buy some and get a haircut too

I dont buy chewing gum, so won't have any affect.

angeldelight

I wouldn't necessarily agree that it's only kids throwing hte stuff on the street. A few months ago they did a story about chewing gum etc on the news and they showed a tree beside a bus stop at Belfield I think where students getting on a bus would just stick their chewing gum onto the tree, it was completely covered. Really horrible.

Sleipnir

5c?
It should be a euro.

JoeSchmoe

It will make bugger all difference, its a change in attitude we need, Irish people just litter, thats the way it is, I was in Prague recently and the streets are spotless, its not that they are efficiently cleaned, it's that people don't litter.

This point was made to me because on the street where we were staying someone dropped some computer printouts, no one picked them up, they were there for the duration of our stay, its just they were the only litter on the street.

Something has to be done, its a shame that the new paving on o connell st is starting to get ruined already with the little black blobs everywhere

monkeyfudge

rb_ie wrote:

If you look at most large,well developed european citys you'll see the streets are clean, and hopefully some day Dublin will join them.

Those well developed European cities do a damn good job of cleaning up after their citizens too.. Something the Dublin City Council is very poor at doing. Those Green Machines that are used to clean the paths don't do much, the bins are often full to capacity and beyond. And can't they come up with a better way for shops and fast food places to get rid of thier rubbish. 30 bags of rubbish lying loose outside Mac Donalds on O'Connell street looks horrible, not to mention the smell. Don't most cities have things like dumpsters and such?

simu

You can't expect too much of people, you also have to have a good cleaning crew in any city. In Nice, they hose the streets down early every morning!

grumpytrousers

Hobbes wrote:

In that you can't buy it there. But you can import it or bop over the border and buy some and get a haircut too

I dont buy chewing gum, so won't have any affect.

EH?!?!?

y'mean haircuts are illegal in Singapore as well...

jesus, you learn summat every day on this here interwebulator...

Oh - i like the idea of the 5c tax. as a sometime gum chewer...only fair, innit

tony 2 tone

rb_ie wrote:

I reckon it's kids though, I mean, most people over the age of 18 will put stuff in bins,

Whats most? People over 18 are no better than kids when it comes to dropping rubbish. Auld ones, kids, students, blue collar workers, ie ****ing every one has/will do it. I have seen people throw something on the ground within 2 feet of a bin, people just dont care.
This gum tax is to get the poor bastards that are trying to give up the smokes, like meself, as the revenue from ciggy tax is reduced.Whats with all the "raise chewing gum by euro/make it the price of 20 smokes"? Bit much, i like to stock up on the ol' purple airwaves of a monday and still be able to afford food for the week, :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

AFAIK Its illegal to bring chewing gum into Singapore as well, there was a $200 fine when i was there......

olaola

I bleedin saw with me own bleedin eyes some 'wan chucking the packaging of a Maccie D meal out of the window of her Micra onto the road. Sure didn't we beep the beatch, and you could only imagine the response that initiated!
Another prime location - outside Maccie Ds on O'Connell St (the one near the Spike). One will find the local clientele trip trapping out of that fine establishment (after asking for a hamburger with nothing but 'red sauce' on it) literally unwrapping the morsel and chucking the paper on the ground. There are two litter bins outside! But in fairness, they aint the type o' guys I would be tapping on the shoulder with my 'eh - you dropped something' line.
mmmmm... McDonalds...

Lex_Diamonds

I firmly believe all chewing gun should be banned. Only way to sort it. Its a damn site easier than eliminating knackers, that cant be done overnight.

The slow cleanup of gum is laughable too. It cost something like €20,000 to clean Grafton St. About a month later its as bad as it ever was.

Tusky

Lex_Diamonds wrote:

I firmly believe all chewing gun should be banned. Only way to sort it. Its a damn site easier than eliminating knackers, that cant be done overnight.

The slow cleanup of gum is laughable too. It cost something like €20,000 to clean Grafton St. About a month later its as bad as it ever was.

I agree 100% - hate the stuff.

seamus

Tusky wrote:

I agree 100% - hate the stuff.

I don't hate the stuff, but it's certainly something I could live without. Particularly if it nevers get stuck to me again from some knacker leaving it stuck to wall, or a seat, or anything in fact.

grumpytrousers

Lex_Diamonds wrote:

I firmly believe all chewing gun should be banned. Only way to sort it. Its a damn site easier than eliminating knackers, that cant be done overnight.

The slow cleanup of gum is laughable too. It cost something like €20,000 to clean Grafton St. About a month later its as bad as it ever was.

AGREED. And the only *guaranteed* way to bring down the numbers of people dying on the roads in car accidents is to ban cars.

Sledgehammer/nut methinks...

I chew gum. I'm responsible and put it in the bin. It doesn't harm others, nor the soles of their shoes. I'll pay the 5c extra.

tolerance, mate, tolerance, that's what yer need!

Dingatron

That's one of the better stealth taxes to come so far. Irish people just don't give a damn where they throw their rubbish. It's unfortunate that the guys who use bins etc. are also liable but what can you do? More litter warden's and bigger fines are needed. The only way to stop littering is to hit people in the pocket. Judges don't help matters. In the local paper a guy got off after his car was seen in the same area that a bag of rubbish was found with his name on it! Not enough evidence said the judge. How much do you need? That makes my blood boil.

Wertz

Just another stealth tax. I only buy a pack once in a blue moon.

Some people eat it religiously; they're the type that believe all the ads about it being good for your teeth, calorie free, etc. and likely the type that chuck it on the ground without a second thought.
Will This tax reduce the sales or more importantly the improper disposal of gum? No. Not a chance.

A lot of others here have cited our general attitude as a nation: simply not enough of us give a f*ck. Even when there are bins they're either not used or are too full to use. Add to that the fact that an awful lot of our littering is done while we're pissed.

ATM receipt tax is downright wrong! If I go to an ATM who is not my branch I HAVE to get a receipt either to check my balance or (more importantly) to have as proof of withdrawal in the case where the ATM spits out less than it should, which has happened me more than a few times. We ALREADY get charged through the nose by most of our banks for even making the transaction in the first place: now they want to add yet another cost to that? Please...

Fast food foam cartons should be heavily taxed, or better still, the retailers providing them should be forced to apy all the clean up charges and recycling charges associated with them.

/endRant

Osku-82

When I used to smoke, I could not have lived without a good old blue Airwaves gum. It's so refreshing after a cigarette and/or coffee. Even these days I enjoy it very much. Other gums aren't as good as Airwaves, it lasts real long.

Anyway, I think that the price of gum is already too high. The price for a kilogram of gum is a small fortune! I'd suggest a witty ad campaign for not littering the streets. It would help also other things. Here in Finland people do also spread their litter across the road. There are so many empty McD packages around the roads near them. You should see the main street of Helsinki or Tampere at 4.00 on Saturday or Sunday morning. There's litter! Luckily they clean it up at least for Monday.

When I was in London, I noticed how disgusting it is when people throw their rubbish out into the streets for the collection car to pick it up. The bags may leak or break and sometimes they smell a lot. I understand it is a problem in a big city like London but it could be organised in another way.

impr0v

Wertz wrote:

Some people eat it religiously; they're the type that believe all the ads about it being good for your teeth, calorie free, etc. and likely the type that chuck it on the ground without a second thought.

Please read the instructions on your generalisation gun before discharging it in a public place. gumophobe.

Wertz

impr0v wrote:

Please read the instructions on your generalisation gun before discharging it in a public place. gumophobe.

OK...

*reads*

It says "Fire repeatedly in a random fashion, making sure to hit as much of the target audience as possible."

Oh and there's a bit at one end that says "Use other end!"

dewsbury

Does anybody know why people don't swallow gum??? It could not possibly have any negative medical effects or it would say so on the wrapper.

Presumably it is not swallowed because just don't think for themselves ?? Is it just the sheep syndrome ??

Baa Baa Baa

Tusky

seamus wrote:

I don't hate the stuff, but it's certainly something I could live without. Particularly if it nevers get stuck to me again from some knacker leaving it stuck to wall, or a seat, or anything in fact.

Well its not that I hate it really..I just hate those people who are chewing it constantly.... 24/7....and yes people who leave it stuck to things. How do they get up in the morning knowing they have wrecked someones trousers by leaving it on a bus-seat. fukkers.

tony 2 tone

dewsbury wrote:

Does anybody know why people don't swallow gum??? It could not possibly have any negative medical effects or it would say so on the wrapper.

Presumably it is not swallowed because just don't think for themselves ?? Is it just the sheep syndrome ??

Baa Baa Baa

Its probably due to the old wives tale/urban myth that it takes 7 years to go tru ya and sticks your insides together.... which is crap, it goes tru like every thing else, takes the same time, only it comes out more or less intact. And that would be one freaky cling on/dingleberry....

Pet

tony 2 tone wrote:

Its probably due to the old wives tale/urban myth that it takes 7 years to go tru ya and sticks your insides together.... which is crap, it goes tru like every thing else, takes the same time, only it comes out more or less intact. And that would be one freaky cling on/dingleberry....

I think it's because it tends to clump together inside you. So if you swallowed two or three pieces in a day, it would cause a blockage in your intestines - painful and possibly dangerous,

SantaHoe

impr0v wrote:

At least once the tax comes in, I won't have the hassle of doing that, I can dump it on whatever street I'm on, since I'm paying for that privilege, and safe in the knowledge that my five cents per pack has been ring-fenced for spending exclusively on cleaning it up. That's the way it works, isn't it?

Yeah that about sums up my complete bewilderment with this tax.
The plastic bag tax worked because it encouraged people to see them as re-usable items... how the hell does that apply to chewing gum?
"No Johnno, don't spit it on the path, you can bring it home and use it to hang up your Man United and scooter posters."
Once chewing gum has been chewed, it's fairly useless... I don't see how raising the price is going to make people more socially responsible.
And as impr0v pointed out, I don't expect for one second that this money is going to be set aside to fund the new 'Used Chewinggum Removal Task Force'.
The single positive side of this tax is that people will talk about chewinggum disposal for a few days, think about it, then realise that (A). they don't buy chewing-gum (B). they already dispose of their chewing-gum sensibly... or (C) I don't give a shít, don't be wreckin' me buzz.

They should just take the Simpsons approach and have a tax on puffy directing pants while they're at it.

Chevano Riley

vinnyfitz wrote:

Will the chewing gum tax cost you anything?

itll cost me my sanity.

this kind of taxation drives me up the wall. next theyll be sticking pedometers under our skin and the county council will charge me per path walked on. this is bull****. chewing gum=problem. government therefore pays someone to clean it up, and every taxpayer lends a hand.

Chevano Riley

i added a darling signature for the occasion.

SantaHoe

The tax is stupid and pointless... it's nothing more than an attempt by whatever minister to get his name in the paper and make it look like he's been doing something... pathetic and brainless.

I think the mentality behind littering is that they see other peoples litter around and think "Well what's another crisp packet gonna change, might as well add to the collection".
This collective belief that one "average" person can't and never will make a difference, is what has so many things fúcked right up.
Of course if you think and accept that Dublin is a kip and always will be, you're going to treat it like kip... and the vicious circle continues.
Changes aren't going to come about through taxation or punishment, they'll come about by waking people up to the fact that they have control over wheather they live in a dirty kip or not and to take some pride in where they live.
A lot of blame lies in the government aswell, it's up to town planners (etc) to give something for people to be proud of in the first place.

It's just a case of cowboy ministers passing the buck again and approaching problems arse-about-face with this whole "anything is better than nothing" approach to problem solving... what in the name of Jesus are we paying them for?

impr0v

Chevano Riley wrote:

i added a darling signature for the occasion.

Heh. Now if only everyone was a socially responsible as you, we'd be able to pave the streets with gold.

tony 2 tone

Pet wrote:

I think it's because it tends to clump together inside you. So if you swallowed two or three pieces in a day, it would cause a blockage in your intestines - painful and possibly dangerous,

No it wouldn't, unless you were eating a whole packet at once and swallowing that, and did that a couple of times a day. :rolleyes:

Tommy Vercetti

impr0v wrote:

The latest of the proposed stealth taxes has the potential to bankrupt me. Since quitting smoking nearly a year ago I've become a Phenylalanine freak, working my way through entire rubber plantations in a single day, jaw muscles bulging like Sir Alex after a champions league match. Now in fairness, 5 cent isn't overly punitive, but I'll have to pay it despite religiously wrapping the stuff and storing it until I'm near a bin.

At least once the tax comes in, I won't have the hassle of doing that, I can dump it on whatever street I'm on, since I'm paying for that privilege, and safe in the knowledge that my five cents per pack has been ring-fenced for spending exclusively on cleaning it up. That's the way it works, isn't it?

I share your chewy misery, sir. I went from nicotine hell to chewing gum crap, via nicorette, and they are still trying to extract more taxes from me. Now all I need is to find a way of avoiding the ATM receipt tax so I can pay for all the other taxes.

Chevano Riley

impr0v wrote:

Heh. Now if only everyone was a socially responsible as you, we'd be able to pave the streets with gold.

Silent Grape

haha, i was doing surveys with the general public in my work about this over a year ago, i never had an idea they would actually go ahead with it!!i shouldve answered all the bloody questions myself!

Piste

Lex_Diamonds wrote:

I firmly believe all chewing gun should be banned. Only way to sort it. Its a damn site easier than eliminating knackers, that cant be done overnight.
QUOTE]

'Ethinic cleansing' is Immoral, Knacker hunting is just illegal!

That Chewing gum tax would cost me so much, I go through several packets a week ffs.

snappieT

What is the definition of 'a packet'? Some packs have 6 sticks, others have 25 pellets.

What about the 'Wrigleys Xtreme' - they're off the market now, but they easily had 100 tiny balls in a pack.

And if you buy a mulipack in the supermarket: 8 packs of 10, for example, do you get charged 40c tax?

Big Ears

snapscan1212p wrote:

And if you buy a mulipack in the supermarket: 8 packs of 10, for example, do you get charged 40c tax?

8 packs 5c per pack= 40c dosen't take a a rocket scientist , of course thats what you get charged .

and no matter how much of the product is inside one pack , it will always be 5c .

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

Crash

daveirl wrote:

This post has been deleted.

It can also just plain be difficult to swallow the stuff - its oddly dry and can catch (or does catch) on my throat so thats why i stopped swallowing it.

used it to hang up posters once. hehe.

Mossy Monk

never buy the stuff so it wont affect me one bit. another stupid tax though

Mayshine

Just wondering but,

I can just see the irish attitude towards this. Well since I am now paying the muppets in government to clean this stuff up after me, why would should I even be bothered to dispose of this correctly....

Stupid tax - as usual penalises everybody even the responsible people. I hate this sort of lowest common denomenator tax. I don't want to be punished because my fellow country men and women are filthy dirty lazy twats...

My 2 Cents

SantaHoe

Mayshine wrote:

My 2 Cents

*cough* 5 cents even

I'd say they've got a pool going in the Dail bar about who can bring in the most pointless tax... wish I was a minister, it sounds like great fun.

Victor

rb_ie wrote:

I reckon it's kids though, I mean, most people over the age of 18 will put stuff in bins, but kids have no problem just dropping it and walking away.

Yeah, kids are repsonsible for Chernobyl also.

Rb

Victor wrote:

Yeah, kids are repsonsible for Chernobyl also.

No I wouldn't go as far as to say that.....wait, maybe so..

snappieT

Big Ears wrote:

8 packs 5c per pack= 40c dosen't take a a rocket scientist , of course thats what you get charged .

and no matter how much of the product is inside one pack , it will always be 5c .

That makes no sense... since it is one 'pack' containing 8 subpacks would it not just be 5c based on your second statement