If the government rid the country of smoking, will they hike up taxes to replace the loss of taxes on tobacco?

Question

The tax on tobacco is enormous. What will the government do to replace that income?

If 10 million people in the UK smoked 20 cigarettes a day, and taxation was about 70%
That would provide an annual incom to the government of close to 1.3 billion pounds.

Answer 1

why do you think the gov't allows smoking to still be legal when we know it is deadly??? money, money, money....

Answer 2

No, the costs saved by all the sick days, hospital visits and lost productivity due to death from smoking will more than make up for those taxes. So the country would make much more money in the long run, although it would be harder to directly measure.

Answer 3

Of course. They say the monies they loose on taxes for cigarettes will pay for itself on the monies they save within the NHS. But that's bull they'll put it on other luxuries like alcohol and exotic foods.

Answer 4

if lung cancer and other smoking related ills stop being such an expensive burden on the NHS then they should actually save money (if its more than the tax generated by cigs). It's us poor faties who'll get taxed like hell next.

Answer 5

Tax the fukin yanks everytime they come on OUR site ... tossers , get the f*** off.

And apart from that .... the money saved by not treating cancer lung diesesed idiots would cover the loss of revenue.

Answer 6

They would decide to tax some other vice ( perhaps an internet tax)

Answer 7

Of course, they will. Where else is the money going to come from? You honestly don't expect them to cut expenses or take a pay reduction, do you?

Answer 8

they're never going to do that.. you can't rid the USA of tobacco... it would cause an uprising...

plus the government makes too much money on it

Answer 9

i think yall should just leave us smokers alone. do you really want half the nation to go crazy for 3 days because of the lack of nicotin? just imagine what could happen in those 3 days.

Answer 10

Legalize Weed and tax it

Answer 11

They'll just spend less on health care, education and pensions.
Gambling is the future.