Tobacco Demand Slumped to 15%

Health Or Wealth?

Original story courtesy of yahooxtra... the rest has been added by DHMNZ
Demand for tobacco has fallen 15 per cent at supermarkets since the tax rise in April - a far greater reduction than expected. "It's extraordinary," public health physician Dr Murray Laugesen said yesterday, commenting on supermarket sales figures supplied to him by research company ACNielsen. Who the fark are ACNeilsen when they're not compiling shady surveys and stats for the Ministry of Public Health.

 

Based on earlier tax increases, a tobacco price rise of 10 per cent would have been expected to reduce sales by 5 per cent. In April, the Government increased the excise tax on factory-made cigarettes by 10 per cent and on loose tobacco by 25 per cent. The tax on both types will rise by a further 10 per cent next year, and by the same percentage again in 2012. What this means for you Hori's still hitting the Kaipaipa is that really the government are forcing the issue on not making it any easier on smokers, therefore you are left with really only 3 options, which are; (1) Quit altogether (2) Bludge big time or (3) Get a good balaclava and non-distinctive runnies and do a weekly 'Manurewa Purchase'.  

It was said that since the April tax rises, average weekly sales of factory-made cigarettes at supermarkets had gone down by nearly 14 per cent - notably more than the price increase of 10 per cent. Sales of loose roll-your-own tobacco dropped by nearly 18 per cent, which was less than the price increase of 21 per cent. It appeared some smokers might have switched to rolling their own cigarettes, which were cheaper - despite the greater tax increase for loose tobacco - because they were usually thinner than factory-made smokes. The overall drop in supermarket sales - which was not the whole market - could reflect a "pent up effect" in people cutting down or quitting.

Cuz what does that mean in good Queen's Engrish? What that means Hori's is like I said, the government ain'y making things easy on you. Tax will rise and so will the price of ciggarettes. So as I sit here and ponder aloud whilst dragging on a good roll yer own and wonder is this right? Or are they just blowing smoke up my arse?