Thai officials to enforce vice tax hike: THPF

[razer]

"Records show smoking causes the nation 52 million baht in economic loss." .... like to see the evidence on that ... sounds a bit dodgy.

[surangw]

tax men by the inch,   up to them how much they claim, most will gladly over pay  :)

[bangrak]

I can feel there's a fight coming: the AH of THPF say they're gonna use the sin tax money on tobacco for 'public health promotion campaigns'(hu?!) while a bunch of other AH declared a few days ago the sin tax on alcohol AND tobacco would be spend on projects in favour of tourism... Make up your mind guys, check with one another who cab 'shave off' the biggest chunk, 40%, OK? TiT, nobody could invent such stuff, so much of it too, daily, 'unreal', yes, but much more 'surreal', so many jokes when you hear them, before you realise it is real, serious, no joke! Oh, Thailand...

[Gabor]

Yes, it is proven that raising tobacco taxes does reduce consumption. I think they should increase it MUCH MORE. 

 

May reduce legal consuption... my country was raped with this western bullshit and in the result the legal consuption decreased dramatically... whilst the tobacco contraband business doing better, than ever.... I myself buying only contrabanded ciggies for the half price of the legal shop's prices.... as the thais says: som nam na.... Americans never learn... remember the result of the alcohol prohibition....

[hawker9000]

 

Yes, it is proven that raising tobacco taxes does reduce consumption. I think they should increase it MUCH MORE. 

 

Why do you thinking of giving  up / want to smoke less?

 

Or is this just puritanical morality aimed at those who smoke? 

 

Given the volume of pollutants in the air from cars, buses, and motorbikes i'd wager the overall health of the public - especially the Bangkok public - would increase if the air quality improved. 

 

Wonder who is at the greatest risk from  respiratory disease a) a smoker from say Phrae province (excellent air quality) or a non-smoker who lives and works in downtown Bangkok - say lower Sukhumvit?

 

Clearly raising taxes is just a money spinner for the government - raised taxes on booze a few months ago and i doubt that has had any effect on consumption levels? 

 

 

Oh here we go.  "If you can drive I should be able to smoke wherever I want."   Lol.   Like your tobacco addiction is the equivalent of the world's need for transportation...

 

OK, I know you & your fellows are going to just go on & on about all the planet's "other pollutants", even though we're actually talking here about cigarette smoke and nobody but your fellow smokers is listening to you. What you need to realize (or not; I don't really care) is that when you persist in public smoking you just antagonize the rest of the (voting) population into not caring HOW much tax you have to pay or what new regulation you have to live with.  Actually they do care - they start cheering!  This tax & regulation creep on smokers is a slow but inexorable process, and long may she wave.  You don't really think this is the last tax increase you're going to ever have to pay on those things do you?

 

I'm just waiting for the NCPO gaze to turn to public smoking enforcement...  Particularly against foreigners.  That'll be interesting.

[Chao Lao Beach]

"Records show smoking causes the nation 52 million baht in economic loss."

That can't be right. Did someone miss out a zero or two?

 

I agree, thats less than 2 mill usd

[SinCityGr8One]

Ha Ha Ha! Raise the "Sin Tax" on Alcohol and Tobacco.  Insurance actuaries are pretty accurate on informing insurance companies when their insured parties are going to expire due to their age, occupation, habits, etc.  I wonder if anyone in charge of this plan is looking to the funding of future projects with the projected tax collected from the individuals who consume alcohol and use tobacco by using similar accounting formulas or logarithms.  What would happen to those projected revenues should the entire population who do consume either or both just stopped their habits?  Another reason for a budget gap?  People have Vices for one reason or another.  I don't see why any Government needs to meddle into peoples private affairs.  This brings to mind former Billionaire Mayor of New York City Michael (The Midget) Bloomberg with his plan of "No Super-sizing" Colas, French Fries, etc.  It was an idea that went down in flames. However, the price of a legal pack of fags was increased continuously and now is between $13.00/$14.00 USD a pack.  The solution?  Take a trip to area States with cheaper prices and load up the car's boot.  I just took a short hop to Osmach, Cambodia and picked up a carton of "Cambo" fags for 100 Baht and a bottle of "Scotch?" Whiskey bottled in Vietnam for 170 Baht..  When in Mae Sot (River Market) I get a carton of "Bass" fags from Myanmar for 70 Baht.  Yes, an individual cannot think right for himself, soooooo Government always knows better and does what is best for the individual. Ha!

[hawker9000]

Ha Ha Ha! Raise the "Sin Tax" on Alcohol and Tobacco.  Insurance actuaries are pretty accurate on informing insurance companies when their insured parties are going to expire due to their age, occupation, habits, etc.  I wonder if anyone in charge of this plan is looking to the funding of future projects with the projected tax collected from the individuals who consume alcohol and use tobacco by using similar accounting formulas or logarithms.  What would happen to those projected revenues should the entire population who do consume either or both just stopped their habits?  Another reason for a budget gap?  People have Vices for one reason or another.  I don't see why any Government needs to meddle into peoples private affairs.  This brings to mind former Billionaire Mayor of New York City Michael (The Midget) Bloomberg with his plan of "No Super-sizing" Colas, French Fries, etc.  It was an idea that went down in flames. However, the price of a legal pack of fags was increased continuously and now is between $13.00/$14.00 USD a pack.  The solution?  Take a trip to area States with cheaper prices and load up the car's boot.  I just took a short hop to Osmach, Cambodia and picked up a carton of "Cambo" fags for 100 Baht and a bottle of "Scotch?" Whiskey bottled in Vietnam for 170 Baht..  When in Mae Sot (River Market) I get a carton of "Bass" fags from Myanmar for 70 Baht.  Yes, an individual cannot think right for himself, soooooo Government always knows better and does what is best for the individual. Ha!

 

'Not sure about alcohol, but smokers are not easily discouraged from their addiction, and I think governments realize that by now, if they didn't to begin with.   To at least some extent I believe the same must be true of alcohol.  Drinkers don't pour their drinks down others' throats however, the way smokers in public force their smoke on non-smokers nearby, so the ambivalence toward whatever smokers are having to deal with in terms of increased taxes & regulation by the rest of the voting population will continue.  Politicians will continue to get a free hand with respect to them, and may even be rewarded.   'Just a reality.   Smokers will always take advantage of whatever loopholes & laxness they can, but the waterholes are drying up, one-by-one and slowly, but surely.  Take advantage while you can, 'cause the writing's obviously on the wall.

 

I've never smoked but definitely used to be one of those firmly opposed to government and its anti-sin taxes & programs.  But I finally got so fed up with rude smokers and their unwillingness to compromise just out of good will, that the realization finally dawned that government was going to be the only answer.