IRELAND
A call by the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) to keep raising taxes on cigarettes has been slammed as an “outrageous attack on the poor” by Forest Ireland, which represents adults who choose to smoke.
A spokesperson for Forest Ireland, John Mallon, said, ““Raising taxes on tobacco is an outrageous attack on the poor and the elderly. It will fuel illicit trade and drive law-abiding citizens into the hands of criminal gangs. Tobacco is a legal product and consumers shouldn’t be punished or treated like lepers for exercising their right to buy or consume it.”
He went on to say, “The ICS is behaving like the worst kind of schoolyard bully. Instead of encouraging people to stop smoking through education they want to force people to quit using punitive taxation and other coercive measures.”
“It’s very easy for senior executives with their high salaries to call for tax increases. If they have any empathy for ordinary people they should show a bit more compassion for those who enjoy smoking and are less well off.”