One for the smokers

[VladTepes]

No I don't mean Tdi engines.Another reason to holiday at home...
From 1 September 2012, the import concessions for incoming passengers and crew entering Australia will reduce from 250 grams to 50 grams of tobacco.In effect, this means that the duty free concession will reduce from a carton to two packets of cigarettes.Government worried about missing out on some revenue there eh. Tightarses.

[33chinacars]

Simple DONT smoke

Filthy habbit

[p38arover]

Not a problem for me. Thank goodness they didn't touch duty free alcohol.....:D

[Lotz-A-Landies]

No I don't mean Tdi engines.Another reason to holiday at home...Government worried about missing out on some revenue there eh. Tightarses.Nothing to do with revenue, how can they be issuing significant health warnings, banning advertising and dealing with the illness of thousands of patients with the whole gamut of diseases directly related to smoking and then be giving people tax breaks to do it.

It would suit me down to the ground if there was no duty free import of cigarettes and that packets brought into the country had to be packaged and labeled according to Australian Laws before clearing Customs.

Filthy habit.

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

Not a problem for me. Thank goodness they didn't touch duty free alcohol.....:D
recently coming back from a cruise we had to fly out of Sydney, one of the group of passengers was carrying 3 litre bottles of Duty free, and whilst waiting for boarding passes in the Queue ,saw the bottom of the bag break and 3 litres of spirits smashed and made a big alcohol puddle, before anyone could go down with a straw the stupid airport staff contaminated it with a dirty mop:(

[shorty943]

Damn, now I got to find yet another route to get my Cuban cigars here.
Does anybody know any living relatives of good old Guye Fawkes?
I got a little job for them!

[VladTepes]

My point isn't about whether smoking is good or otherwise. It's about governments taxing its citizens to hell and closing every little loophole they can find.

I'm sure if it HAD been the alcohol thing there would be more people complaining.

Don't kid yourself this isn't about revenue. If it was truly out of concern for our health they'd simply make them illegal... oh but wait, the government just happens to collect ****LOADS of revenue on tobacco. People may be addicted to cigarettes but the government is addicted to tobacco revenue.

Ultimately the people who suffer most will be the Customs ladies and gents at the airports who have to enforce this concession. As if they aren't busy and understaffed enough already....

[HillbillyfromAL]

I hope none you actually believe your government or any other is concerned about your health. Is that why they've taken away most of your firearms rights? They were worried about your health? They want your money, and submission just like every other government.

[mikehzz]

The G-men interferrin' with life's necessitations....shootin' critters, chuggin' moonshine and suckin' on fags....oops:eek:

[stevo68]

The G-men interferrin' with life's necessitations....shootin' critters, chuggin' moonshine and suckin' on fags....oops:eek: I can quite categorically say that I used to smoke ( 12 mths off them yesterday) but I have never sucked on a fag :o,

Regards

Stevo

[Lotz-A-Landies]

<snip>... Ultimately the people who suffer most will be the Customs ladies and gents at the airports who have to enforce this concession. As if they aren't busy and understaffed enough already....But the Government will have all this additional excise to pay for more Customs staff! And Both you and I know that the resources raised by a government department are always used to the benefit of that department! :twisted:

[Rusnut]

more money to pay for the lard gutted anti smoking brigades heart by-passes.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

more money to pay for the lard gutted anti smoking brigades heart by-passes.Thats because heart surgeons refuse to perform the bypass surgery on smokers because they have a significantly higher risk of mortality and it isn't worth the risk or the insurance premium to do it.

It also leaves more money for the respiratory ward where all the smokers with emphysema, lung and throat cancer reside and reminisce about how much enjoyment they get from their smoking. It is also where they complain about how heavy the oxygen bottle they have to carry around is and how it inconveniences their smoking.

[vnx205]

more money to pay for the lard gutted anti smoking brigades heart by-passes.

I am 1.8 metres tall and weigh 63kg and class myself as one of the anti smoking brigade. :)

So I have two questions.
Are you a smoker or a smoking advocate?
How much do you weigh?
:D:D:D

[mikehzz]

Stevo, I was waiting for it. :) But the correct connotation for your usage is "off" not "on"....:) Speaking of off....

[tony66_au]

Always good for a laugh the whole Smokers versus Anti Smokers "Thing".

Frothing posters on one side, And laid back **** stirrers enjoying a durrie on the other.

Ban all duty free I say!

And if they actually do ban smoking someday im sure that alcohol will be deservedly next and then who knows? Eating meat? Mandatory Veganism?

The thing is...... Why judge?

Smokers hurt mainly themselves (yeah yeah passive smoking blah blah)

Drinkers hurt mainly themselves (yeah yeah Domestic violence, Drink driving and nightclub brawls Blah blah)

Cyclists hurt mainly themselves ( Sucking in huge quantities of air chockers with pollutants, Festering arsegrapes and bad road manners blah blah)

We all have bad personal habits (Although the serial self abusers only hurt themselves and love it!) and its easy to point and pontificate but wouldnt it be better if we all had good enough manners to just live and let live?

And before you ask I may be one of more of the above mentioned practitioners...

Tony

[mikehzz]

It does get up my nose that health care costs are way higher than they should be because of other people's bad habits. I, of course have none :D Smoking is a real issue in hospitals. Smokers are over represented, stay in longer and as such hog resources. Ask anyone who works there.....am I wrong?

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Always good for a laugh the whole Smokers versus Anti Smokers "Thing". ...<snip>Hi Tony

There is one aspect that smokers generally speaking are renown for and the other groups not. carnivores rarely leave their disgarded bones lying around.
cyclists don't leave their pushies or lycra shorts littering the gutters, lawns and footpaths.
but yes beer bottles and cans have a habbit or littering the landscape.
but none of them compare to the toxic waste of cigarette butts dropped everywhere.Yes discarding one's butts is not 100% of smokers, but the rest of the smoking population sure make up for the ones that don't.

[vnx205]

Smokers hurt mainly themselves (yeah yeah passive smoking blah blah)


On the other hand, there does seem to be an increasing amount of evidence that smoking greatly enhances your ability to turn a blind eye to scientific evidence about its effects on the smoker and on passive smokers. :p

[tony66_au]

True, Butts are a nasty by product but that's more due to lack of manners and respect.

Many countries in Asia and Europe deal with this culturally and with punitive action.

A workshop I had years ago had a few simple rules one of which was no smoking in the shop and I set up a nice smokers area with sand filled ashtrays which one of the smokers dutifully sieved and cleansed and one of the smokers just plain abused.

So the abuser spent 30 mins each day before going home and off the clock cleaning the area and was also given the broom task IN the shop as he trekked in a few buts under his boots.

Newly enlightened and reformed over a period of months he became a responsible person with new improved habits because he was punished for his actions and fairly so (IMO)

Most of the smokers I know ASK me what to do with the butts and ask if its ok to light up (Do I mind?)

But yep Butts are a blight, its weird that Government legislates that smokes now have to go out of not sucked on within a certain time for bushfire safety as well as legislating that you cant smoke anywhere especially in a car with kids (Who the hell does that anyway?) and yet they haven't solved the dreaded fag butt issue.

Anyway, Life is too short for worrying or fussing over the inadequacies of others..

When you can just hose em down with CO2 extinguishers!

Tony

[tony66_au]

On the other hand, there does seem to be an increasing amount of evidence that smoking greatly enhances your ability to turn a blind eye to scientific evidence about its effects on the smoker and on passive smokers. :p

True dat!

Ex neighbour with emphysema and an oxy bottle n mask solved the problem re his coughing and gasping by smoking super light 1mg durries...........

I still chuckle when i think of that sort of logic.

Its a bit like Bong smokers versus Joint smokers, Dope is ok......... but bongs are bad........

Errr miss the point much? :D

[Homestar]

Don't kid yourself this isn't about revenue. If it was truly out of concern for our health they'd simply make them illegal... oh but wait, the government just happens to collect ****LOADS of revenue on tobacco. People may be addicted to cigarettes but the government is addicted to tobacco revenue.

....

Sorry Vlad, that just isn't true. The cost of smoking related illness far exceeds the revenue the government collect from taxing tobacco - has been that way for years now. The only reason smoking hasn't been outlawed, is that (1) - they know they can't just ban such an addictive product without massive social consequences, and (2) - it would be political suicide. Even though smokers only make up 17% of the population, it would be seen as the start of the end for eveything else that can/could harm the population. So, where would it end if you ban smokes...

Edit - just checked some figures out - in 04/05 tabacco revenue for the government was around $5.2 Billon. Hospital costs for tobacco related illness - $669 Million. Social cost $31 Billion (est). That figure include direct costs related to funerals, etc for the more than 15,500 people that died that year from smoking - over 42 per day.... more deaths than from ANY other cause in this country by miles. Taxing them out of existance may be the only way we can rid ourselves of these appalling figures.

[TomBrulinski]

A bit underweight ayee

[460cixy]

I'm no longer a smoker I'm I agree the gov is addicted to the revenue from the darts. Having just returned from holidays and I'm a bit of a drinker I was blown away how cheap beer was in hawaii 12 tinnies $9.99 cheaper then 6 cans in Australia but we don't get ripped off tho. Yellow tail wine there about 4 bucks a bottle so it's shipped over there and sold cheaper then here. But taxing the arse hole out of Australians is better for our health what a ****ing load of ****!