Scotland Taxes Tobacco And Alcohol
Scotland has added extra taxes to large stores that sell tobacco and alcohol. It seems to have had the effect of getting some Sainsbury supermarkets to not sell tobacco. It’s reported here on the BBC.
Although I applaud any measure to reduce smoking, I’m not totally sure about this one. It will harm the profits of the big supermarket groups and they will react, by perhaps not investing in stores and jobs north of the border.
And of course, smokers will still get their fix, by probably buying tobacco from bootleggers and others.
I would prefer to see all tobacco sales in large supermarkets as that would perhaps make it more difficult for kids to get hold of them. After all, when did you hear of a large chain of stores selling cigarettes or alcohol to those underage.
Catch Them Young
The second story on BBC Breakfast News is about dealers selling cheap cigarettes out of tab-houses. It highlights how many of these cigarettes are sold to children. My friend in Addenbrooke’s is there because of a smoking related disease. And she started as a child, because the local newsagent would sell her cigarettes because that was one of the ways he could make a profit.
Unfortunately, we can’t sue him, as the shop is now shut and I have a feeling it shut because he got lung cancer. I could say that the newsagent got his just deserts, but I won’t, as nobody no matter how bad their crime deserves that.
But we must do more to stop this evil trade.
In the BBC report, they suggest higher punishments for those caught smuggling cigarettes. It probably wouldn’t work, but I’d get a lot of satisfaction to see smugglers getting banged up for a few years.
The Anonymous Widower 