Addictions cost economy $40B a year!

[Cheese]

thats B as in Billion.

Addictions

Addictions to tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs cost the Canadian economy $39.8 billion a year, according to survey results released Wednesday.

The $39.8 billion figure breaks down this way:
- Tobacco addiction costs are estimated at $17 billion, or 42.7 per cent of the total amount.
- Alcohol dependency costs are pinned at $14.6 billion, or 36.6 per cent.
- The costs from addictions to illegal drugs are estimated at about $8.2 billion, or 20.7 per cent.

Well two out of the three products are legal. Anyone of legal age can walk into any store and purchase alcohol or cigarettes. Im sure that in some cases those under age can also acquire the products.
So whos to blame? The weak who cant stop themselves from becoming addicted? Those who have come from poor upbringings or have suffered abuse, therefore using drugs as an excuse?
Or the government who continually sticks their heads up their arse and complains about the cost on health care post use?
79.3 percent of addictions come from legally sourced products that provide the governement with huge amounts of tax dollars.

Whats the answer?

[NuclearFart]

How about implementing a "sin tax" that is used solely to cover these issues down the road? Make it whatever the statistics determine the cost is per cigarette package, bottle of beer...etc.
________
Blonde Girl Live

[CarlW]

Originally Posted by NuclearFart

How about implementing a "sin tax" that is used solely to cover these issues down the road? Make it whatever the statistics determine the cost is per cigarette package, bottle of beer...etc.

Hasn't the gov't already put up huge amounts of tax on cigarettes? I mean how much have to gone up in price in last few years? I'm just wondering if all that money goes towards health care.

As for alcohol sin tax, that would be highly unpopular and people would probably vote you out of office next election .

[Cheese]

1999 Tax rates on cigarettes...seems Canada taxes the product at about 75% per carton...

Average Retail Cigarette Price and Total Taxes per Pack (Canadian Dollars/Pack),
Selected Countries, April 7th, 1999
Country Price Tax Tax Incidence

United Kingdom 9.75 8.39 86%
Denmark 8.13 6.65 82%
Ireland 8.09 4.85 71%
Sweden 7.84 5.51 70%
Finland 7.46 5.68 76%
United States (Highest –Anchorage, Alaska) 6.92 2.85 41%20
Canada (Highest - NF) 6.66 4.98 75%
France 5.97 4.51 76%
Germany 5.43 3.84 71%
Belgium 5.28 3.94 75%
Netherlands 4.90 3.52 72%
Austria 4.69 3.47 74%
United States (Lowest –Kentucky)4.52* 0.51 11%21
Italy 3.86 2.88 73%
Canada (Lowest – ON) 3.79 2.10 55%
Greece 3.59 2.61 73%
Portugal 3.52 2.80 80%
Spain 2.43 1.77 73%

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by CarlW

Hasn't the gov't already put up huge amounts of tax on cigarettes? I mean how much have to gone up in price in last few years? I'm just wondering if all that money goes towards health care.

As for alcohol sin tax, that would be highly unpopular and people would probably vote you out of office next election .

Ummmm, there already is an alchohol "sin" tax. Look at the difference you pay in alcohol at liquor stores compared to those duty free shops at the airport.

You will notice that the price difference is significant IMO

[Clarkey]

So are the taxes on cigarettes to discourage their use or to raise money to pay for health care? Does anyone know what the 'official' aim of the tax is?

[albertGQ]

Originally Posted by Clarkey

So are the taxes on cigarettes to discourage their use or to raise money to pay for health care? Does anyone know what the 'official' aim of the tax is?

Both!

[RougeUnderoos]

Both.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/smoking/cost.html

I'm not going to complain about taxes on cigarettes, but I do wonder why liquor and smokes are singled out. Lots of things are bad for you, but you don't see a 75% tax tacked on to your bucket of chicken from KFC.

[arsenal]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Both.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/smoking/cost.html

I'm not going to complain about taxes on cigarettes, but I do wonder why liquor and smokes are singled out. Lots of things are bad for you, but you don't see a 75% tax tacked on to your bucket of chicken from KFC.

Becuase it is easier to justify. If you start taxing food, even if it is as bad for you as smoking or drinking, then you get alot of people up in arms. It would be seen as a "Fat Tax".

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by arsenal

Becuase it is easier to justify. If you start taxing food, even if it is as bad for you as smoking or drinking, then you get alot of people up in arms. It would be seen as a "Fat Tax".

What's wrong with a fat tax? "The price of the health care" is used to justify taxing cigarettes so why can't it be used to justify taxing unhealthy food?

[arsenal]

Hey, I agree with you. And I don't really agree with the reasoning that we are giving being the price of health care is higher for unhealthy people.
Unhealthy people usually don't live as long as healthy people. So the overall cost of health care could in fact be more for a healthy person.

I guess part of it could be with smoking, the whole second hand smoke issue. Which is complete BS. Unless you are stuck in a room with everyone around you smoking for 8 hours a day, and no air circulation, you are not going to get sick from second hand smoke.
With eating fatty foods, you aren't hurting anyone but yourself. I don't agree with the justification, and think there shouldn't be any "special" taxes on cigarettes or liquor, but I am not PM, and would be lobbying from a weak position.

[Shazam]

IIRC, there's also provincial taxes on smokes and booze. I think in Alberta the total taxes for booze comes to something stupid like 110%.

[DementedReality]

Originally Posted by albertGQ

Ummmm, there already is an alchohol "sin" tax. Look at the difference you pay in alcohol at liquor stores compared to those duty free shops at the airport.

You will notice that the price difference is significant IMO

duty is different than tax. those products are duty free, not tax free.

duties are imposed to protect domestic products from cheap overseas products.

you can employee 20 people in china for what one Calgarian gets paid in a month. hard to compete with that!

[DementedReality]

well i dont understand why people think pot should be illegal, but dont think twice about drinking or smoking.

why should pot smokers feel shame? hell, its bragging rights if you go home and drink your face off each night, or even if you just like a single glass of wine after a hard days work, no one thinks twice. but go tell your boss you are going to light up a fatty the moment you get home and see how long your job lasts! i fail to see why its anyone's right to judge.

[Clarkey]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

What's wrong with a fat tax? "The price of the health care" is used to justify taxing cigarettes so why can't it be used to justify taxing unhealthy food?

It would be way too difficult to regulate. Cigarettes are a relatively homogeneous product, a cigarette is a cigarette. Junk food comes in all forms, how do you classify which foods are junk food and which ones aren't?

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

What's wrong with a fat tax? "The price of the health care" is used to justify taxing cigarettes so why can't it be used to justify taxing unhealthy food?

Because 99% of the population would be affected by that tax. Not everyone eats perfectly healthy 100% of the time.

Having some Pizza once a month wouldn't really putting a strain on the health care system. Although I do agree with you that obesity is leading to more and more health issues amoung people and taxing the system.

As well, the argument for Cigarettes/Alcohol - you aren't just hurting yourself, you are hurting other people. Whether that is with second hand smoke or social problems related to alcohol.

[Sharpen 'Em]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

As well, the argument for Cigarettes/Alcohol - you aren't just hurting yourself, you are hurting other people. Whether that is with second hand smoke or social problems related to alcohol.

I drink frequently and I can tell you that I have zero social problems related to alcohol. If anything, it improves relations.

[NuclearFart]

Originally Posted by arsenal

And I don't really agree with the reasoning that we are giving being the price of health care is higher for unhealthy people.
Unhealthy people usually don't live as long as healthy people. So the overall cost of health care could in fact be more for a healthy person.

I guess part of it could be with smoking, the whole second hand smoke issue. Which is complete BS. Unless you are stuck in a room with everyone around you smoking for 8 hours a day, and no air circulation, you are not going to get sick from second hand smoke.

I am curious where you get these ideas from, because the reality is the exact opposite of what you think.

The truth of the matter is that unhealthy people impart a huge cost upon society, and not just in terms of health care costs either. This article aside, do you have any idea how much it costs to treat the litany of issues smoking causes, or the lifetime costs of treating obesity and its sequelae? Healthy people do not cost anything, and in fact contribute to the health care system through the tax dollars they provide.

And I see you have discovered the exact threshold at which second hand smoke causes sickness in others. Please tell us how you have arrived at this conclusion, because medical scientists worldwide are having a bit more of a challenge with this apparently simple issue.

I don't mean to be an ass, but people like you do society as a whole a major disservice by propagating these ignorant myths. I implore you to pick up a book and actually read about these issues before you label such ideas as "BS".
________
Uggs

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Because 99% of the population would be affected by that tax. Not everyone eats perfectly healthy 100% of the time.

Having some Pizza once a month wouldn't really putting a strain on the health care system. Although I do agree with you that obesity is leading to more and more health issues amoung people and taxing the system.

As well, the argument for Cigarettes/Alcohol - you aren't just hurting yourself, you are hurting other people. Whether that is with second hand smoke or social problems related to alcohol.

Smoking cigarettes once a month wouldn't really put a strain on the health system either.

Obesity brings it's own set of social problems as well. True, there is no such thing as second-hand fat, but I had to sit beside King Kong Bundy on the bus once and it was terrible.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Smoking cigarettes once a month wouldn't really put a strain on the health system either.

Obesity brings it's own set of social problems as well. True, there is no such thing as second-hand fat, but I had to sit beside King Kong Bundy on the bus once and it was terrible.

I think I sat by his wife today. Or almost inside his wife. I was thinking fat tax the whole way home.