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Last updated on May 20th, 2017 at 07:11 am
Having already boosted taxes on girly drinks, Ruddite puritans are now urged to attack cigarettes:
The Rudd Government’s chief adviser on preventive health has called for an increase to the excise on tobacco of 2.5 cents a cigarette, which could raise $400 million a year on top of the $500 million to be raised from the increased excise on “alcopops”.
Getting with the pleasure-tax program, a Sydney council is pondering a plastic tax:
Sporting groups may be slapped with a “tape tax” to curb increasing amounts of sticky strapping left on fields after weekend matches.
Warringah Council is considering introducing a cleaning fee after residents’ complaints about litter, which also included cans, bottles, ring pulls and chip packets.
Electrical tape, used to tie down laces on football boots and to hold up socks, was the worst offender.
Older players – Toaf may be among them – also use tape to protect against injury and brace aging joints. Taped-up players who enjoy a post-game drink and cigarette might need to take out a second mortgage.
Good grief… what next, a divot tax?
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2008 04 27 at 02:59 PM • permalink
- The Left just find this whole social engineering caper so easy and coupled with collective punishment there obviously isn’t a societal ill that can’t be fixed.
It’s amazing that this theory hasn’t been tried before.Posted by Hank Reardon on 2008 04 27 at 05:33 PM • permalink
I stopped when they got to $2 a packet, and the ex didn’t smoke. (I remember when you could buy a packet of 10 cigs, Viscount or Rothmans for 21c. Excellent for the social school smokers! This new tax is more expensive than the smokes were when I was a kid!)
It’s not a revenue raising exercise… they been talking with the speed camera operating state governments?
Say no more.
Nanny, nanny, nanny. Now on a Local Government Level…
In an Australian first, Kogarah Council, in Sydney’s south, is expected to pass a motion tomorrow night to use its planning powers to ban synthetic trans fatty acids in deep- and shallow-fat frying in food outlets and council childcare centres.
Soon they’ll be deciding when we can go to the toilet, etc.
They’re already regulating how long we can take in the shower…
Taxing alcohol and cigarettes is certainly an innovative approach from this government. And to think some people said 2020 was a waste of time!
Posted by Margos Maid on 2008 04 27 at 06:53 PM • permalink
We get the nsame here. A New Government wants to demonstrate its commitment to health, so they stick up the tax on cigarettes. If they were committed to health, then why do they not outlaw cigarettes?
Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 04 27 at 08:39 PM • permalink
#6 Blink, I see you didn’t blink. You’ve got it down pat.
All those onerous taxes are for our own benefit. Damn! I wish I were so smart!
Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 04 27 at 08:41 PM • permalink
Still, you can’t beat British Labour’s local councils for outright Stalinism. This guy has been given a criminal record for leaving the lid of his bin slightly open.
THE consequences of giving power to those who have no idea of how to use it, is that they ultimately abuse it.
I refer to Copeland Council, applying a criminal record to the unfortunate Mr Corkhill of Whitehaven for having the audacity to leave his fortnightly collected wheelie bin partially open, thereby ensuring a whole series of photographs are taken from the refuse police of Copeland Council plus resulting charges…
…Such questionable criminal laws however were not drawn up by Copeland Council or any other such administration, they were in fact constructed by this present Government after receiving an affirmative vote from all the Labour MPs within this county…
…This then is Labour’s sense of fairness, putting the means in motion for nitpicking empire builders like Copeland Council to bully and intimidate as they see fit, but whilst guaranteeing ongoing lucrative salaries plus extremely generous pension schemes that are in the main denied to the private sector counterpart.
Sounds more Nazi than nanny state.
“I am in favour of taxes which I don’t have to pay.” The cry of the do-gooder and wowser.
“I am in favour of public transport (preferably free) and no more freeways should be built. We should endeavour to move large numbers of people to public transport, walking or bicycles”. The cry of the inner city dinky with a plentiful supply of public transport.
Posted by LaVallette on 2008 04 27 at 09:08 PM • permalink
I am seeing 1930’s black and white images of puritans smashing bottles of booze and tipping out barrels.
Posted by cyclosarin on 2008 04 27 at 09:12 PM • permalink
The treasurer will soon swan and get down to brass tax. It will be set at 10 cents per tack.
Posted by stackja1945 on 2008 04 27 at 09:17 PM • permalink
- I’m in a motel in the Latrobe valley and so have seen a bit of TV lately. Call me a cynic, but first you saturate the airwaves with a new name “binge drinking” for an old thing -kids getting drunk, mention often that the “kids” are our “teenage daughters” who, once drunk, will, know you, be at it. You use completely junk science to identify “the culprit!” (cruizers, bruizers and other examples of the “alcopop” genre, itself a beat up) and argue to the befuddled populace “if this kind of drink is available, then teenage girls will ‘binge drink’”, and so you increase the tax, and then, unbelievably (unwittingly) proudly demonstrated what a crock the argument it is and how stupid those who support it are, by announcing how much MONEY you’re going to make out of it. We can only assume because the kids will keep on buying it and paying the tax and getting drunk!
Nevermind a couple of other economics 101 ideas like “they will find cheaper things to drink”.
No, call me a cynic, a wrecker even, but I think they just wanted $500 mil for something, and this is how you get it when you’re a government.Posted by ooh honey honey on 2008 04 27 at 09:26 PM • permalink
What a cunning plan. Create a world where the only small mercies are a drink and a smoke. Then increase the tax on drink and smokes.
I’d like to see a Labor government put a tax on red tape. They’d all be bankrupt by lunchtime.
Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2008 04 27 at 09:34 PM • permalink
- So how much IS the gravy train on “non government health groups” nowdays anyway?
Wouldnt it be a bit of a conflict of interest if the funds raised were funneled to these self same groups for “health promotion”. Im sure they are all working for free? right?Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2008 04 27 at 09:39 PM • permalink
So, a nineteen-year old confronted with the choice of paying substantially more for their favourite ‘tipple’ will,
(a) Drink less
(b) Rack up an even greater debt on their credit card
Nevermind a couple of other economics 101 ideas like “they will find cheaper things to drink”.
And just like tobacco, if you tax it enough, some ‘enterprising’ group will provide an excise and GST free alternative, meanwhile, to cut costs, legitimate traders will import stock containing an assortment of ‘novel’ Chinese ingredients.
Interesting to see if Kogarah council’s planning powers are that broad. Can’t see the food industry letting it happen without a legal challenge. The precedent means any food stuff with a claimed health risk may be banned. Ban synthetic trans fatty acids and next it is salt. From there it is sugar, alcohol, peanuts and meat. How long before it is all manufactured food. Cars exhausts are dangerous, ban cars.
The NSW Government is presently rushing through laws to take away council planning powers and give them to Frank Sartor. This will only reinforce the claim being made that councils are not smart enough to have these powers. I’m cynical enough to think this may be a stunt to help Sartor do that.
- #6. Blink.
That is the modis operandi for Australian governments. So when one sees a MSM story on anything to do with ones general living or liberty and it gets hyped up ad nauseum, don’t take it as news, take it for what it is, softening up propaganda. Be prepared for much more than usual, social engineering announcements from some in the compliant ‘Rudd Luvvy’ press.
Mind you, a certain bank takes the cake for bastardry with a rate increase on ANZAC day.
And how does that health impact go when people turn to “chop chop” for their ‘baccy?
How many more tax department driven convictions? “We have recently boosted our investigation resources by adding an additional 40 investigators and have laid a number of other charges with a further 60 cases pending prosecution.”
I hate tobbacco, but just quietly Krudd can piss off with his nanny taxes. Either ban it outright or leave it alone.
Posted by thefrollickingmole on 2008 04 27 at 10:14 PM • permalink
- #28 The bank usually announces on Fridays. What do? Announce on Thursday? Murphy’s law gives Labor chance to bash bank.
#29 Labor will not ban, only tax. Banning loses revenue. Prohibition gave revenue to Capone. Expect more drugs to be legalised and then taxed.
#28 MSM have always helped soften up for Labor.Posted by stackja1945 on 2008 04 27 at 10:29 PM • permalink
Much of the discourse about ‘alcohol related violence’ is disingenuous, as no Labor politician, and few conservative ones, will ever admit that our society has become more violent. We’re told that every incidence of Saturday night violent is committed by Jekyll & Hyde characters, ignoring the fact that many of the perpetrators are no less violent head-cases when they’re sober. Maybe identifying the cause of increased violence in our schools, certainly not alcohol induced, would go a long way to reducing weekend casualties.
- Tax! Tax! Tax!
Tax! Tax! Tax!
Shake your duty! Shake your duty!Posted by andycanuck on 2008 04 27 at 11:21 PM • permalink
#31 i don’t know what people expect when kids are babysat by violent cartoons from birth & grow up playing gruesome computer games & watching slasher movies, & parents at sporting events encourage them to go the biff. we grew up playing combat in the neighbourhood’s back yards & knew what happened when you got hit – it hurt like hell. if we whacked someone too hard our parents whacked us. these days kids are barely llowed out unsupervised due to paedomania & whacking is a thing of the past
as to litter, everybody remembers the keep australia beautiful ads, but did they change behaviour? nup. the grubs who leave our streets & parks full of rubbish should be forced to lick the footpaths clean of dog shite
grumble grumble /codger off
#34 – I’d wager 3 kilos of crank that the surge in violnece is related to the upswing in meth use and not alcohol. Our per capita consumption of alcohol is way down on what it was even 20 years ago. Meth has totally changed the pub/club atmosphere. In the good old days a donnybrook at the pub would be settled by two swaying gents kicking off their thongs, stepping outside and throwing wild haymakers that would be lucky to hit the side of a barn. These days meth is giving kiddies the ability to drink and carouse like Richard Burton, but without the refinement. So rather than a torn shirt and a chipped tooth, you end up with a face full of glass. If you’re luck
Of course the simplest measure to reduce violence would be to build more jails, employ more police and sterilise poor people, but a tax on fizzy drinks should do the trick.
Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2008 04 27 at 11:57 PM • permalink
- #35
Codger, I feel the same way, particularly about litter.I saw some of the stupid cartoons they feed to kids these days. Ugly pictures of ugly characters.Nothing wrong with a reinforcing slap applied to a child, a smack is fine, a flogging isn’t.
Litter? I was at a fruit market on Saturday. A small child, about 4, was given a banana. She dropped the skin on the ground in the carpark behind the car. One of the adults just kicked it under the back of the car.
No wonder Australia’s beginning more and more to resemble a dump.
#36 IT
Stop with the youth court revolving door. Those kids need their arses kicked good and proper to stop the cycle.Some of the parents could do with a kick, too.
#36 & 37 – when I am King, I am going to deport them all to the colonies for seven years.
“Bye fellas. See you in 7 years. Say ‘hi’ to the penguins for me”.
Posted by mr creosote on 2008 04 28 at 12:16 AM • permalink
Curious how the whingeing about “Howard’s Australia, stuck in the 50’s” continues apace.
If this current lot have their way, I’ll be back to the good old days all right, blokes only in the front bar, sheilas out in the ladies lounge, shelling peas and drinking sevens or a sweet sherry on special occasions, like funerals.
Of course in Oz in the olden days there was no binge drinking or violence
Oh well, only light low carb beer for the adults, but plenty of red mitsubishies and goey for the kiddies.
- #35
Great perspective on armchair/spectator rough & tumble.
Watching sliding Rugby tackles on the plasma is far removed from grass burns (or worse) on the playing field; same goes for console violent games; small wonder many toddlers are now obese, they don’t even need to pedal their (battery powered) karts these days …
Sorry egg, I misspoke, blokes only in the front bar is a good thing..
Seems as thought Tim Costello has the ear, as it were, of Rudd and is urging him ever onward.
Making Tart Fuel a few bob a bottle dearer is not going to fix this particular crisis, as alcohol is the foolproof sexual lubricant of the ugly masses and believe me, I speak from experience.
A bolder move would be to declare Flemington dry for the Melbourne cup carnival.
Tim Costello is evil and must be stopped..
#42 – They’ve had a go at smokes and grog, next stop will be an increased levy on the punt. The working man never had a better friend than Labor.
Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2008 04 28 at 01:59 AM • permalink
Instead of discouraging teenage girls who just want to grow up to become a Labor prime minister of Australia just like Bob Hawke did, Rudd should be putting his arm around their shoulders and buying them a double vodka and coke or two, or three.
#44; Why not make double bacon cheeseburgers illegal and set up scarfing stations similar to puffing rooms supplied etc etc.
Posted by dean martin on 2008 04 28 at 03:37 AM • permalink
I saw a discarded coffee cup today. We all know the answer to that crisis.
Posted by dean martin on 2008 04 28 at 04:05 AM • permalink
Yep, so it begins. The good old days, when Budget night was when you sat anxiously waiting to find out how much beer, cigs and petrol went up, are back. Whitlam lives!
Posted by AlburyShifton on 2008 04 28 at 04:08 AM • permalink
#35 Whacking isn’t a thing of the past KK. I could write a textbook on whacking kids. We’re just winding down now (ages 9,11 and 13)
Posted by ooh honey honey on 2008 04 28 at 04:11 AM • permalink
The Govt is going through the couch, looking for whatever loose bits of fiscal policy they can milk for extra cash, for now. But the gravy train is expensive, and the real hardships for the tax-payer won;t be long in coming. Why the fuck the electorate thought it would be good to change Govts while things were GOOD, I’ll never know! Hopefully, this new generation of voters will have learnt their lesson in 3 years.
Posted by AlburyShifton on 2008 04 28 at 04:13 AM • permalink
#41 The new Capones wait to pick up the business.
Posted by stackja1945 on 2008 04 28 at 09:04 AM • permalink
#31 … no Labor politician, and few conservative ones, will ever admit that our society has become more violent.
More violent? I grew up with cowboys and Indians, soldiers of every era, cartoon characters, space aliens, the Three Stooges, Marx Brothers, ect. Never did I act out the violence in any of my favorites. Well, my sister may have another point of view.
Posted by Deborah Leigh on 2008 04 28 at 12:04 PM • permalink
Thank God they haven’t decided to tax duct tape here in the states. There would be such a outcry from the Indian Native American community. We joke about the importantance of duct tape. It holds our cars together, our canopies, regalia/dance outfits, ect. It’s the best thing since white bread fry bread.
Posted by Deborah Leigh on 2008 04 28 at 12:18 PM • permalink
Dunno how you guys play footie. We use tape up here to protect our knuckles.