Tobacco tax works, but not in the way people think
"When smoking costs more, people will quit!" That’s the most spread opinion and officially promoted goal.
That is yet not the full picture. Even the newly enforced images of sick people and tumours, doesn't really make people stop. The same example was observed, when in western central Europe fuel prices went up due to environment tax. People still drove their cars, as fast and much as they always had. No neither environment or health issues stopped people to do what they do. Worse; the ones implementing or promoting these taxes didn't even stood as role model. Green party parliament members, still drive fuel powered cars, instead of electric vehicles, and many still are seen smoking.
So these seemingly well meant taxes don't cure the cause, they are a welcomed steady income, out of consumption that is unlikely to reduce anyway.
Bloomberg reports in the 31st October to 6th of November 2016 edition, that the US has a decline of 10% in the adult group and roughly 3 to 5% within the group of teens. The fact is, that this is just a drop into the sand, compared to the huge revenues drawn by government, from tobacco prices, that have increased 20 times or more, from where they were a few decades ago. The truth is, that legal drugs are a need in society, to please the masses, and with that, secure a constant, even rising, income from its citizens.
The wagging finger to keep awake some kind of moral, also by using the vocabulary "sin tax", just like religions do, is a well known, over thousands of years, used model. The problem about it is, that it was created, not to benefit the population, but fill the pockets of the implementing bodies.
By Thomas Fleckner
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