Tax cigarettes out of existence, the savings will show up in medical costs.

The bottom 20 percent are most like nett non contributors to the tax system after they collect all the benefits that are currently available to them. Any increase in the tax on cigarettes just goes to swing the balance back the other way a bit and as previous posters have remarked, also goes some way to pay for the smokers additional health costs.

David

The leftist Progressives' diversity-Australia-has-to-have and at any cost ensures that the number of children in smoking households is continually being topped up through migration.

Nothing is being said about the number of 'Progressive' middle class professionals who publicly support tobacco control, but they themselves are regularly snorting cocaine and using tabs supplied by the bikies.

If the drug and alcohol testing compulsorily performed by industry was ever applied to white collar professionals esp the legal fraternity, judges and politicians it would cut a mighty swath through their ranks, especially on Fridays where the big night out starts early in the day and in the office.

One law for the affluent who have the money to make choices and relieve the stress. A different one for those nicotine addicted Bogans, esp indigenous, who as children could not escape the environmental reality and impact of low income, minimum care, high stress living.

OK, so what is preventing that cynical S.O.B Shorten and his inherited 'handbag hit squad' from proposing compulsory booze and drug testing for pollies and public bureaucrats? A positive initiative too one would have thought, to reduce that wife beating they are supposed to be concerned about.

"Tax cigarettes out of existence, the savings will show up in medical costs."

Yes because banning things people want and are prepared to pay for is always such a successful policy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition

https://ndarc.med.unsw.edu.au/news/methamphetamine-deaths-increase-across-australia-and-ice-use-jumps-52-cent-among-people-who