herzog wrote:If the shortfall is that great they should ban the bloody things outright.
I doubt any Gov would have the balls to do such a thing, I HATE cigs with a passion but there are clowns out there, who vote, that love them.
I think that they should have a few tighter restrictions on sales.
Like:
Not sold at Pubs or Clubs
No vending machines anywhere, ever.
Not sold in supermarkets, corner stores, news agents or servo's.
You must have a "Smoker’s Card" to buy them, this card will record how many you have bought, brands etc and give you a running total on the receipt of how much you have spent on them.
To have a smoker’s card, you must be over 18.
If you are caught giving smokes to an Underage person, you lose your "smokers card".
If you have a smoker’s card, you pay a higher Medicare levy; say an extra 5% across the board.
Smokes would also be in a max of 20 per pack and have a health levy at at $2 per cig, which goes to National Health. No discounts, any retailer selling individual cigs would lose their retail licence, forever.
Any person found selling illegal cigs or tobacco (chop chop) would be treated the same as a Narcotic drug dealer.
Just a few idea's I have.