New Zealand scraps world-first smoking ‘generation ban’ to fund tax cuts

3 years ago by stopthatgirl7 to c/worldnews

Health experts say axing plan to block sales of tobacco products to next generation will cost thousands of lives

trebuchet 66 points 3 years ago

Lol sounds like this increases tax revenues by increasing the number of addicted smokers buying cigarettes and then taxing the sales.

Really sound government policy there.

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livus 24 points 3 years ago

They have actually admitted this is going to be revenue gathering. NZ has some of the highest tobacco tax in the world.

Basically their election promise was tax cuts, which they intended to do by allowing more foriegn ownership of real estate and taxing it.

After the election they found out they could only govern with the help of a populist party and a libertarian party.

The populists won't allow more foriegn ownership of real estate. Meanwhile the libertarians' wet dream is stuff like more lung cancer tobacco.

So we get shitty last minute law changes we didn't see coming, like this one.

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SkyeStarfall 14 points 3 years ago

Wait, they want more foreign ownership of real estate?? Are they high lol. That's going to price out every last young person there from homes that's not already priced out.

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kaffiene 2 points 3 years ago

Everyone could see that the foriegn buyers tax wasn't going to work. It wasn't going to raise enough revenue and was also illegal. It was obvious that something was going to get cut to pay for taxes. It's not like this wasn't pointed out ad nauseum during the election

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Vornikov -3 points 3 years ago

The populists won't allow more foriegn ownership of real estate.

I don't see a single problem here. Fuck, I wish Australia would get behind this.

Also good, fuck prohibition laws. Leave them in the fucking past where they belong. If I want to slowly kill myself by inhaling burning plant matter, then that's my decision. The taxes I pay more than cover my eventual cost to the state's healthcare system. The government does not get to dictate what I do with my own body.

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tankplanker 18 points 3 years ago

It's worse than that as it's short term tax gains now but increased public health spending later from those same taxes when they start getting cancer in a decade or two.

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az04 -1 points 3 years ago

But lower pension costs, and overall it saves money to allow people to smoke themselves to an early death. Even if you count the cost of their treatment, it's cheaper than 20 extra years of pension payments. It's a terrifying but sound economic policy.

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WhatAmLemmy 13 points 3 years ago

When you elect the clowns of conservative/neoliberal politics, you get what you deserve — a circus.

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explodicle 3 points 3 years ago

When you elect the clowns of conservative/neoliberal politics, you get everyone gets what you deserve

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jonne 9 points 3 years ago

Tax revenue that you'll have to plow right back into the health care system to treat expensive lung cancers. But hey, that's only 20 years down the line, so you look good now.

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Bo7a 3 points 3 years ago

I'm not sure about how accurate it is, but I read something a while back about it being the opposite in canada. You don't spend more on smokers because they don't live long enough to get to the really expensive part.

This is just a foggy memory so I'm definitely open to being corrected.

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Akasazh 6 points 3 years ago

Yup. It's really effective. I've paid my share of lung ruining tax in my lifetime. And for most of that time I'd be happy to defend my right to soil my airways to something close to the death.

I've been clean for over a year. But that addiction is so fucking emotional that you let them squeeze you dry and you almost applaud it. The perfect capitalist drug.

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squeakycat 3 points 3 years ago

Glad you've put up the fight and made it through the other side.

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gila 2 points 3 years ago

Yes but actually most western governments do this. The Aus health minister made a comment to the same effect a couple of months back. The US even collateralises loans using payments from tobacco companies that have not yet been made, as compensation for harm to public health that has not yet been done.

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Corkyskog 1 point 3 years ago

Call JG Wentworth 877 Cash Now!

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