£5 on a packet of cigarettes.

Every silver lining is surrounded by a cloud, Frank....

Probably my council tax will go down if they taxed alcohol heavily.
A police officer I knew said he seemed to spend most of his time dealing with drunks or drink drivers.
Probably it might not be so good as they may be able to make some police officers redundant as the government would lose the revenue it gets in fines.

Frank

Black marketeer!

Yes, that's the problem with all such proposals - too easy to get round!

Hi Ana

That would suit me as I drink hardly any alcohol.
I could buy my share to sell on and make a profit.

Frank

Ah, but it's more healthy to be underweight than overweight (not anorexic, of course). And what about alcohol? Perhaps we should be issued with booze stamps every month for the equivalent of what the government reckons is 28 days' allowance, paid for by us at normal prices - anything over that you have to pay £50 per unit!

I've noticed that quite a lot of fat people also smoke so perhaps they have very addictive natures. Health messages just won't get through to some people.

I Started to smoke as a teenager when the harm was not widely known. When I was expecting DS1 my GP told me not to give up as it would stop me having too big a baby and would help when I was in labour. How times have changed! I gave up smoking 35 years ago with no help from patches or GP but I think you have to really want to do it to break any addication and if you are not very determined you probably won't give up no matter what help is offered.

I am not sure that taxing products really helps reduce their use although I wouldn't sugary foods being taxed more heavily as I don't think it would have much effect on my life.

DS3 says that supermarket checkout assistants should be specially trained to deal with fat people. They should have a big bin and put anything with lots of calories in it and tell the fat they cannot have it but can have fruit and vegetables instead! I asked him if there should be the same treatment for the very thin!

Yes! A Fat Tax! (obviously not for those with a medical condition which affects their ability to regulate their weight, before I get shouted down!)

I am not sure how many people smoke compared with the rest of the population. However, I do know that one in four adults is obese – that must be a bigger proportion than smokers these days. Tax fat people at the same rate as smokers are taxed – that would be fair, I think. Sort out the defict PDQ.

Such a good idea - put them up to £25 a packet!! (Or is that what they are already!)

FlicketyB ...something very similar happened to our good friend.

I gave up smoking (and I was smoking 40–60 a day) on December 1 2011 and because I really wanted to and had a bit of help from nicotine patches it wasn't difficult. Mr absent gave up the day he had a stroke about five, maybe six years ago,. On the day his mother died, we both said how much we wanted a cigarette. We didn't beg, borrow, steal or buy any but smokers never become non-smokers, only ex-smokers.

My dearest friend was a smoker. Not a problem (finacially) for most of her life as she was in a professional job. But in her 50s she was twice made redundant and each time took over a year to get back into employment. Normally a very strong minded and determined person she struggled to give up smoking, but never got down to less than 5 a day, and even those were roll-ups. The body chemistry of most addicts changes to accommodate their vice and, as you say Phoenix, when you have other problems to deal with, smoking can be one's one consolation.

When she was 64 she had a niggling pain in her back, went to the doctor and by the end of the day was in hospital diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She died two weeks later.

'Force' them??!!

Hi Deedaa

I don't know if I notice it more being the father of 2 girls and a grandfather to 3 granddaughters but I think young girls smoke a lot more than boys.
Knowing my 2 daughters they will force my granddaughters to stop smoking in some way if they ever start.

Frank

As someone who is hopelessly addicted to all the wrong food and has the figure to prove it I would hesitate to preach to anyone of my generation about smoking. But I do wonder why teenagers are still so keen to start smoking now that we know so much more about the damage it does. Fortunately my two never tried it, having seen their grandfather die far too young.

My 93 yo MIL defends her habit by saying she has paid for any NHS treatment she gets through her fag tax. She gets very cross when we don't let her smoke in our house but at least it means she doesn't stay long! She wonders why we don't come to vist her vry often but it's because her flat smells disgusting.

Is easy to say I used to smoke heavily years ago! Very hard to give up seems sense if moderated smokers really enjoy it let's face it drink food cigs all bad for us what is point? Moderation I guess hate to see youngsters smoke must admit

As Ana says, I don't think they should be - in fact there might be good reasons why they need to smoke - I don't the 'poor' should be denied a cigarette or a beer

Why should the poor be discouraged from buying cigarettes? (and I didn't think bluebell implied that she thought they should). If they cost £50 a packet of course very few people would buy them, so the government's tax revenue would drop and they'd have to put even more on petrol...

Hi bluebell

If you think the poor should be discouraged from buying cigarettes how about £50 on a packet of cigarettes?.
It will not affect me.

Frank

Also, smoking is an appetite suppressant so it's quite easy to opt for cigarettes instead of food. When I gave up smoking I definitely put on a bit of "tyre" round the tummy, having previously had the same waist measurement for 40 years. (It's gone now.)

Glad he wasn't my GP with such a simplistic attitude - smoking and dinking doesn't automatically mean addict - there's plenty of research, especially with smoking that shows it's a coping strategy (rightly or wrongly) to a tough life. I know on a previous thread we've discussed whethe the 'poor' should be prevented from spending their money on cigarettes/ alcohol so I don't want to go there again but some people have such hard lives with such little hope that a beer and a cigarette might be one of the only things that gives them some pleasure

Granjura I love train travel but it is so expensive. As for 'rich' people smoking, I think HunterF you will find that the poorer someone is the more likely they are to be a smoker. When I worked at our local Medical Centre I asked one of our GP's how could someone without money afford to buy alchohol and tobacco - they don't buy much food apparently. He told me that addicts buy: milk, sugar,coffee, tea, bread and cereal the rest on booze and fags [often their rent is paid by the State].

Orca

Yes I travel to the leisure centre and I go on holidays by car and do my shopping.
I even sometimes go to a restaurant by car.

Frank