Aussie Smokers face $20 cigarette packs

[JamesSavik]

Smokers face $20 cigarette packs

Source Link news.com.au

CIGARETTES could cost more than $20 for a packet of 30 and come in plain wrapping if radical proposals now under consideration by the federal government are accepted.

The government is considering a cigarette tax hike and a ban on all remaining tobacco advertising and sponsorship in response to its yet-to-be-released Preventative Health Taskforce report.

The landmark report, now being examined by Health Minister Nicola Roxon, urges the government to slash smoking rates over the next decade to nine per cent, reducing the number of people aged 14 and over who smoke daily from three million to two million.

Under the changes, some of which were canvassed in a discussion paper released late last year, cigarette packets would be generic and plain, with larger graphic health warnings taking up about 90 per cent of the front and 100 per cent of the back.

Tobacco companies also face a blanket ban on all sponsorship, Internet sales, public relations activities and "corporate responsibility'' donations, Fairfax Newspapers say.

The plan has been strongly backed by anti-smoking organisations such as the Public Health Association, the Cancer Council and the National Heart Foundation, but has alarmed cigarette companies, which claim it could be unlawful.

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Discussion on Digg: Digg

emailowndme: Ummm...Australia, idiots.

jamessavik: NO- Aussies are some of the nicest people on the planet and there is nothing wrong with their intelligence. Aussie scientists are high speed and their engineers are top notch.

Their problem is the "mommy state" that well meaning people with good intentions have built but have failed to consider the long term consequences of having the government up your ass from the cradle to the grave.

[Richard Norway]

Des,

This has the potential of bankrupting you. Yeah...and me too, as I'm sure it will hit here too. I started up again.

[DesDownunder]

Smokers face $20 cigarette packs

Source Link news.com.au

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Discussion on Digg: Digg

emailowndme: Ummm...Australia, idiots.

jamessavik: NO- Aussies are some of the nicest people on the planet and there is nothing wrong with their intelligence. Aussie scientists are high speed and their engineers are top notch.

Their problem is the "mommy state" that well meaning people with good intentions have built but have failed to consider the long term consequences of having the government up your ass from the cradle to the grave.

Not quite James. The current political situation (and problem) in Aussie-land is the result of Right wing religions having way too much influence on the Stalinists in the Left wing party. This of course results in what you correctly surmise as being an authoritarian government wishing to control the population.

The socialist/humanist/secularist Left influences have all but disappeared, leaving us with a political left that is right of centre with agendas of draconian control. They have lost their philosophy of individual freedom and have no respect for that most Australian way of life, "a fair-go."

Those of us on the 'true' Left are in dismay as we watch our traditional left wing party adopting the worst ideas of Capitalist right wing reforms. But the word 'reforms' suggests they know what they are doing and that is the problem, they haven't got a clue about the compassionless laws they are passing and those laws are as multitudinous as they are, overbearing.

At present our government is proving daily that it is answerable to its psychotic religious influences and the alternative parties are pushed further to the right, making them appear as incompetent as the more moderate, but now appearing to be 'loony' left wing parties.

The traditional Right wing party is trying to compete with the government by showing that it can be worse.

We might well argue over Socialism versus Capitalism, but that is very dependant on how we each define those two systems.

I doubt that Aussies would be happy with a US style health system, but it does seem we are headed in that direction, along with total disregard for the aged, infirm and socially deprived. In addition our present government is also trying to implement Internet filtering along the lines of China. These are not the actions of a caring, thoughtful, liberated socialist government. This is the Left that we were warned about, but I hasten to add it is also the Left that has been commandeered by conservative forces. It is not the philosphical left of the anti-capitalist.

In truth somewhere between these two extremes is always the most productive and fairest for the majority, but at the present it is isn't happening in Australia because our choice appears to be Right or more severe Right, and unfortunately both our major parties have no idea about what is wrong.