Cigarettes are probably going up in the Budget..

Venom

Terry wrote: »

Pro-smoking: About 90% of the money is tax. It's a government sponsored addiction. Your B.O. is worse than the smell of smoke.
You already have the indoors. Stop looking for everywhere else and so forth.

This is it in a nutshell. The last thing the government wants is smokers to really quit.

stovelid

It's an outrage. Why should they increase the take on a self-elected disease-causing habit that also causes discomfort to others?

Can't they just cut old age pensions or slap a levy on nurse's wages or something?

mikemac

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Fun fact: During/immediately after the fall of Berlin in 1945 the Reichmark was rendered worthless and cigarettes became the main currency with five of them the going rate for a quickie with a prostitute.

I read a book by Frank McCourt with similar info.

Terry

NSFW Language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q7kUFS-0XQ

If you vote for me in the upcoming general election, I will push to ban all tobacco products from being sold here.

Capt'n Midnight

Garret Fitzgerald worked out the effect of the difference in price between here and Norn Iron and smuggling and so it's possible to predict the best price for maximum tax revenue and avoid diminishing returns.

Capt'n Midnight

ingo1984 wrote: »

Any overweight people should be charged a 10% levy on the food they order when in a fast food place or chipper. This is to cover the inevitable cost that their obesity is going to cost the taxpayer in medical expenses.

Are you seriously suggesting we reduce the existing VAT rate by at least 3% ?

High energy

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Garret Fitzgerald worked out the effect of the difference in price between here and Norn Iron and smuggling and so it's possible to predict the best price for maximum tax revenue and avoid diminishing returns.

You see that would actually involve logic and thinking, something our current government seem incapable of.

Turpentine

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

When people say how much money smokers put into the economy do they take into account how much it costs to pay council workers to clean up all the cigarette butts from the streets?

Great!
If everyone stops smoking, the streets will never have to be swept again!!
Super-savings all round!!!

tallus

Gave them up over six years back. Manky habit to be honest.

I couldn't afford to smoke now the price is so high, but if the high price discourages people from starting in the first place then I think it's a good thing.

fryup

Did you see the Primetime special last night about counterfeit cigarettes and yer man selling them at his house and the chap in the market...talk about brazen.

Has anyone tried them are they as toxic as they claim?

Coriolanus

They should just ban it completely or drop the price
All these incremental increases do nothing to curb consumption, just deliver money into the hand of criminals.

High energy

fryup wrote: »

Did you see the Primetime special last night about counterfeit cigarettes and yer man selling them at his house and the chap in the market...talk about brazen.

Has anyone tried them are they as toxic as they claim?

If anything they are probably less toxic than regular cigarettes, the government is just trying to scare people into paying €8.50 a pack so their revenue stream isn't affected.

Just think about it logically, why would counterfeit tobacco/cigarette manufacturers in asia deliberately put additional toxic and lethal substances into their product? It would screw up their business and makes no sense.

FF and proud

syklops wrote: »

As a recent quiiter, and as someone who recently lost not 1 but 2 relatives to smoking related illnesses,I have mixed feelings about this. I wish I had never taken them up and wish no-other person would as well.

On the one hand hey its an extra 85 Million quid. That said though we are already losing loads of revenue through cigarette smuggling, and this will only make it worse.

As well as lost revenue to the state, it is also a new revenue stream for organised crime, so cigarette smuggling is a sort of Double whammy for the state.

I know a few people who have not bought a pack of cigarettes in Ireland since the last budget. Buying instead from friends who bring them back from abroad, or going up north for them. I am sure this condition will continue, and even worsen.

The state revenue aside though. I can't help wondering about the social impact of such measures. For people on low income and those on the dole, is it actually taking nearly 4 Euro out of the weekly shopping budget? Is the direct result of this increase that some people will be a little bit more hungry this Christmas? I suspect so.

What do other people think?

Shockin stuff, sure the fags are dear enough now at this stage without them putting up the price more.

Paparazzo

Anyone notice that this 50 cent figure (sometimes €2) is mentioned every year, everyone is outraged. When the budget comes they go up just 10 or 20 cent, still a massive increase, but everyone is happy cost its not the 50 cent or 2 euro we thought.

Prof.Badass

Idiots. Increasing the price doesn't stop teenagers from buying cigarettes, because when you start off you're only buying 1 pack- in fact you're probably trying one from someone else's pack which you were given for free.

It may give a small amount an excuse to give up, but it's also financially crippling those addicted to nicotine.
It would almost seem the government don't give a **** about people's health. They know tobacco is an inelastic good and that slapping a "sin" tax on cigaretes is easy guaranteed revenue.

If they really wanted to benifit public health they would ease up the insane restrictions on nicotine replacement products, allow them for regular use just like tobacco (which would cause the prices to drop) and encourage people to swap to them. Addicts get to enjoy their nicotine, public health is greatly improved. Win win!

Of course that would mean losing out on their precious revenue... and sure they can always appeal to the contradictory mainstream morality on drugs to keep the status quo.

johnmcdnl

why don't people just start smoking rolled cigarettes then from what I hear you can get 2-3 times as many cigarettes from a packet for the same price as a 20 box of cigarettes smokers really aren't a clever bunch sometimes are they :rolleyes::rolleyes:

flahavaj

johnmcdnl wrote: »

why don't people just start smoking rolled cigarettes then from what I hear you can get 2-3 times as many cigarettes from a packet for the same price as a 20 box of cigarettes smokers really aren't a clever bunch sometimes are they :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Haven't you heard - smokers are lazy as well as being smelly and stupid.:pac:

High energy

johnmcdnl wrote: »

why don't people just start smoking rolled cigarettes then from what I hear you can get 2-3 times as many cigarettes from a packet for the same price as a 20 box of cigarettes smokers really aren't a clever bunch sometimes are they :rolleyes::rolleyes:

There is no way you would get 3 times as many cigarettes by weight of tobacco as with a pack of cigarettes, for the same price - no way.

The only reason rolled tobacco lasts longer is you tend to smoke less when you have to roll one every time, whereas with a pack of cigarettes you can just take one out and light up any time ya want.

God non-smokers are a clever bunch sometimes aren't they :rolleyes::rolleyes:

figarofigaro

High energy wrote: »

There is no way you would get 3 times as many cigarettes by weight of tobacco as with a pack of cigarettes, for the same price - no way.

The only reason rolled tobacco lasts longer is you tend to smoke less when you have to roll one every time, whereas with a pack of cigarettes you can just take one out and light up any time ya want.

God non-smokers are a clever bunch sometimes aren't they :rolleyes::rolleyes:

25 grams of tobacco will make far more cigarettes than a pack of 20 which is a similar price.

High energy

figarofigaro wrote: »

25 grams of tobacco will make far more cigarettes than a pack of 20 which is a similar price.

No it doesn't, there tends to be more tobacco in regular cigarettes but most people roll their own much thinner (less tobacco) so obviously get more cigarettes.

You might get a little more value buying the rolled tobacco, but there is no way it is 3 times as much like someone here said.

figarofigaro

High energy wrote: »

No it doesn't, there tends to be more tobacco in regular cigarettes but most people roll their own much thinner (less tobacco) so obviously get more cigarettes.

You might get a little more value buying the rolled tobacco, but there is no way it is 3 times as much like someone here said.

Get 20 packaged cigarettes, remove the filters and put them on a weighing scale. I think you'll be surprised.

stevoslice

wasn't there some complaint sent to the EU that the price of cigarettes in ireland was unconstitutional or something.

it is now cheaper for me to smoke marijuana everyday than cigarettes, which is pretty crazy. €50 plus pack of ciggies does me for a week, where as if i was just on fags, i'd be smoking around 20 a day. crazy.

double GG

Expensive fags here + Michael O' Leary + cheap fags elsewhere = LESS REVENUE from fags.