Ive been thinking...

[Magoo]

now that everyones masked can we go back to smoking inside?
looking for a upside.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

No. Take that stinky thing out into the rain, you tobacco addict you...

Those aren't menthol are they? I always did like a menthol...

[Magoo]

i gave it up, but id make a comeback if i could smoke inside again.
no one wants to be a snoutcast.

[Lilith7]

You don't want to do too much of that thinking lark - that way lies madness. And starting smoking again would be madness - have you SEEN the price they want for the blasted things these days?!!!
Enough to give any Scots person conniptions - or anyone really.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

That is why I gave up. I pretended it was all high minded stuff, but really it was the thought of all that money going to the gummint.

[Magoo]

probly cheaper and easier to get a decent heroin habit.

[Lilith7]

That is why I gave up. I pretended it was all high minded stuff, but really it was the thought of all that money going to the gummint.

Indeed - that alone should be sufficient reason for anyone to give up; the idea that politicians profit every time you light up is surely abhorrent to all right-thinking people.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

That is why I gave up. I pretended it was all high minded stuff, but really it was the thought of all that money going to the gummint.

Indeed - that alone should be sufficient reason for anyone to give up; the idea that politicians profit every time you light up is surely abhorrent to all right-thinking people.

If wasn't so outrageous a price I would consider taking up the filthy habit again. Save the health system the money they'll have to spend on keeping me alive in my old age.

[Oldfellah]

So if tax on smoking is one of the governments big money grabs, what will happen when fewer people smoke? Will the Fart tax include us next?

[Magoo]

im told the tax take from tobacco is still the same
theres just fewer smokers contributing astronomical amounts.

what kind of person charges an addict a 720% tax increase?
pretty cold.
what would the boozers have said if it were alcohol?

[Lilith7]

im told the tax take from tobacco is still the same
theres just fewer smokers contributing astronomical amounts.

what kind of person charges an addict a 720% tax increase?
pretty cold.
what would the boozers have said if it were alcohol?

Now THERE'S an interesting thought - if a whacking great tax was stuck on alcohol, how long might it take do you think, for people to discover weed & its benefits??

[Magoo]

its a funny old world.
brewing alcohol might be the easiest and cheapest of all the illicit alchemy we have.
i think this, along with the negative effects prohibition induces, stops them from over-taxing alcohol.
they know we would just circumvent the system like we do with weed and theyd get nada.

[Lilith7]

its a funny old world.
brewing alcohol might be the easiest and cheapest of all the illicit alchemy we have.
i think this, along with the negative effects prohibition induces, stops them from over-taxing alcohol.
they know we would just circumvent the system like we do with weed and theyd get nada.

That could be it - I used to make wine years ago so I know its not that hard. It might  be like  America under prohibition, if they tried that.

[TygerTung]

its a funny old world.
brewing alcohol might be the easiest and cheapest of all the illicit alchemy we have.
i think this, along with the negative effects prohibition induces, stops them from over-taxing alcohol.
they know we would just circumvent the system like we do with weed and theyd get nada.

Brewing alcohol isn't illegal, the ingredients are sold at the supermarket! It is just illegal to sell your home brewed alcohol. It isn't illegal to give it away.

And if noone smoked, the government wouldn't lose money as it wouldn't need to spend so much money on the hospitals.

[Magoo]

its a funny old world.
brewing alcohol might be the easiest and cheapest of all the illicit alchemy we have.
i think this, along with the negative effects prohibition induces, stops them from over-taxing alcohol.
they know we would just circumvent the system like we do with weed and theyd get nada.

Brewing alcohol isn't illegal, the ingredients are sold at the supermarket! It is just illegal to sell your home brewed alcohol. It isn't illegal to give it away.

And if noone smoked, the government wouldn't lose money as it wouldn't need to spend so much money on the hospitals.

thats true, legal and cheap
like tomatoes, but ive never grown a tomato either.

very few people smoke these days
ive not seen any improvement to our health system from all the extra resources not smoking has freed up.
this makes me question whether it was ever a valid argument.

[Lilith7]

its a funny old world.
brewing alcohol might be the easiest and cheapest of all the illicit alchemy we have.
i think this, along with the negative effects prohibition induces, stops them from over-taxing alcohol.
they know we would just circumvent the system like we do with weed and theyd get nada.

Brewing alcohol isn't illegal, the ingredients are sold at the supermarket! It is just illegal to sell your home brewed alcohol. It isn't illegal to give it away.

And if noone smoked, the government wouldn't lose money as it wouldn't need to spend so much money on the hospitals.

You could of course, give away alcohol but charge for the bottle/container its in.

[Zurdo]

They bumped up the tax on some booze, like Port. We used to get a flagon of port from West Auckland vineyards for $2...75 cent for a bottle, but who'd buy a bottle when a flagon was only 2 bucks. Even early this century I was droping into one of the last Daly vineyards and getting a flagon of Port, and another of Sauternes for a good price. Now Sauterne has disappeared, and a bottle of Port costs as much as a bottle of the hard stuff.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Had an interesting discussion with an anaesthetist today about my home made brownies and the effect they have on me. I don't think taxing the stuff is a bad idea, especially if it lowers the price on cbd oil. They can keep the thc. It just makes me wobbly even worse that the fourth glass of white.

As for Sauternes, there are some lovely ice wines out there. Maybe they have replaced the sweet lovelies?

---

Brewing alcohol isn't illegal, the ingredients are sold at the supermarket! It is just illegal to sell your home brewed alcohol. It isn't illegal to give it away.

And if noone smoked, the government wouldn't lose money as it wouldn't need to spend so much money on the hospitals.

thats true, legal and cheap
like tomatoes, but ive never grown a tomato either.

very few people smoke these days
ive not seen any improvement to our health system from all the extra resources not smoking has freed up.
this makes me question whether it was ever a valid argument.

Trouble is we increased our imported population at the same time. That's where the pressure on the health system comes from.

[Magoo]

tru dat

[Oldfellah]

Nevermind the brownies just have Banana cake