General Chat

Yeah but the cost of treating smoking related diseases exceeds that of the tax take, even if you factor in dying early and not picking up pension. That is why governments have got so keen on people stopping smoking. Having the old freeze to death doesn't cost much.

And then there is the fire problem both in buildings and vehicles not to mention the countryside during a dry summer.

Will the UK still be allowed to sell packs of 9 and 19 ?

Possibly all containers from China should pay £ 1 000 tobacco tax per 40ft on the basis of probability.

Electronic cigarettes are not to be regulated but menthol cigarettes are to be banned.

European MP's today voted against the regulating e-cigarettes - if they had voted for the regulation of e-cigarettes - they would have become a medicinal product, this will now not happen.

So no regulation for e-cigarettes but there is bad news for those who smoke menthol cigarettes - they backed a ban on cigarette flavorings including menhol cigarettes - but with a five-year delay in the case of menthol.

Packs of 10 cigarettes, considered popular among younger smokers, will also be banned.

They also decided slim cigarettes will not be banned.

Among other measures, MEP's voted on is that health warnings will now cover 65% of each cigarette pack as opposed to the 75% that was initially proposed.

When you look at the figures below I have no doubt that governments of all persuasion will come up with a way to raise revenue to replace the revenue which they are losing from the increase in sales of e-cigarettes to the detriment of the sales of ordinary cigarettes.

Revenue to government from tobacco:-

Consumer spending on tobacco products in 2010 amounted to an estimated £14 billion, around 90% of this on cigarettes.

Tax revenue from tobacco in 2011/12 amounted to £12.1 billion – £9.5 billion in excise duty plus £2.6 billion in VAT.

The total tax burden (excise duty plus VAT) accounts for 88% of the price of the cheapest cigarettes on sale in the UK.