Baccy

[Howyoudoin]

I’ve never really been a ‘baccy’ smoker as I never mastered doing my own ‘rollies’.

Smoked cigarettes for over 30 years though, until my soon to be Wife begged me to give up and I thought that was fair enough provided she didn’t ask me to give up alcohol. Anyway, I digress.

I was aware that the cigarettes that I used to smoke are now about £16 a packet, so almost £1 each for 20.

However, someone from my local British Legion club asked me to look to see if I could get Golden Virginia tobacco cheaper for him en route to Crimea, which I said I would.

Before I left, I checked the prices in the local supermarkets. Here is confirmation of Tesco’s price at about £38 for 50g of tobacco https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/p ... /295580713

Fair to say that I was gob smacked at the prices in duty free at Turkey en route to Russia.

You are allowed to enter the UK from abroad with 250g of baccy per person, so seeing as it was me and the Wife I bought 500g of Golden Virginia in the duty free shop at Antalya.

The price? £80.

The price for 500g of Golden Virginia in Tesco? £380.

So basically, I saved this 70 year old pensioner £300 on the price of 500g of tobacco. Fair to say that he was over the moon.

Just goes to show though that it’s outrageous the prices of baccy and cigarettes in this country now. Same as beer. That’s a separate thread I think.

HYD

[Mike4]

I’ve never really been a ‘baccy’ smoker as I never mastered doing my own ‘rollies’.

Smoked cigarettes for over 30 years though, until my soon to be Wife begged me to give up and I thought that was fair enough provided she didn’t ask me to give up alcohol. Anyway, I digress.

I was aware that the cigarettes that I used to smoke are now about £16 a packet, so almost £1 each for 20.

However, someone from my local British Legion club asked me to look to see if I could get Golden Virginia tobacco cheaper for him en route to Crimea, which I said I would.

Before I left, I checked the prices in the local supermarkets. Here is confirmation of Tesco’s price at about £38 for 50g of tobacco https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/p ... /295580713

Fair to say that I was gob smacked at the prices in duty free at Turkey en route to Russia.

You are allowed to enter the UK from abroad with 250g of baccy per person, so seeing as it was me and the Wife I bought 500g of Golden Virginia in the duty free shop at Antalya.

The price? £80.

The price for 500g of Golden Virginia in Tesco? £380.

So basically, I saved this 70 year old pensioner £300 on the price of 500g of tobacco. Fair to say that he was over the moon.

Just goes to show though that it’s outrageous the prices of baccy and cigarettes in this country now. Same as beer. That’s a separate thread I think.

HYD

Staggering prices.

I gave up smoking when a packet of 20 hit three quid. Most of which was tax and I decided the guvvermint was taking me for an idiot.

A the same time I was looking for £100k of term life assurance. Best quote was £12 a month as a non-smoker, £80 a month as a smoker. I ticked the "non-smoker" box. This helped, somehow.

[Gerry557]

Staggering prices maybe.

It's definitely cheaper not to smoke and much healthier too. I assumed they were trying to price it out over time. I remember school kids selling them to each other.

Having never smoked I don't know how difficult it is to give up but know it's best not to start.

The nearest I got was a backy ..... on a bike.

[Howyoudoin]

It's definitely cheaper not to smoke and much healthier too.

Oh Lord, there’s always one.

HYD

[88V8]

Staggering prices maybe.
It's definitely cheaper not to smoke and much healthier too. I assumed they were trying to price it out over time.

I'm sure they are.
And in the meantime the mugs are subsidising those who don't smoke.

My father, it was pipes. and occasional panetellas.
With pipes, it's not just the cost of the baccy, it's the dropped ashes, the burn holes in shirts and troos, and furniture & car seats, and carpets... And it's not as if he actually smoked it that much, half the time it had gone out or he was cleaning it or refilling it.
Funny habit, when you think about it.

They did have a fag rolling machine, I recall, from the 40s before he started with a pipe.

V8

[dealtn]

Yes they are very expensive in the UK. A huge cost to the NHS and productivity in the economy, offset by the savings in state pension

[Gerry557]

It's definitely cheaper not to smoke and much healthier too.

Oh Lord, there’s always one.

HYD

I think there are lot more than one. I'm not sure which bit you disagree with cost or health.

The ONS shows the number of smokers falling every year and a definite downward trend. I think that the government is slowly trying to stop it completely with the age restrictions.

So I don't know why you want to pick on me.

[Mike4]

Oh Lord, there’s always one.

HYD

I think there are lot more than one. I'm not sure which bit you disagree with cost or health.

The ONS shows the number of smokers falling every year and a definite downward trend. I think that the government is slowly trying to stop it completely with the age restrictions.

So I don't know why you want to pick on me.

I suspect it is because prior to you pointing it out that it is cheaper and healthier not to smoke, he might already have figured this out!

Addiction is a strange and powerful thing. Giving up smoking was probably the most difficult thing I've ever done. And it took multiple failures before I finally achieved it. Even 29 years and 27 days later, it doesn't feel fully secure.

[didds]

So basically, I saved this 70 year old pensioner £300 on the price of 500g of tobacco. Fair to say that he was over the moon.

HYD

you also of course broke the law as the "import" is for personal use only, or a gift.

Its OK - I wont shop ya

[didds]

Yes they are very expensive in the UK. A huge cost to the NHS and productivity in the economy, offset by the savings in state pension

back in te 80s I read a report that said if everybody THEN gace up smoking overnight, the base rate of income tax would have to go up 5% to cover the lost duty on tobacco...

quick googling elcits

cost to NHS wrt smoking - £2.6Bn
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/gu ... 20services.

Tobacco duty - £8.8Bn
https://www.statista.com/statistics/284 ... -receipts/

[the0ni0nking]

back in te 80s I read a report that said if everybody THEN gace up smoking overnight, the base rate of income tax would have to go up 5% to cover the lost duty on tobacco...

quick googling elcits

cost to NHS wrt smoking - £2.6Bn
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/gu ... 20services.

Tobacco duty - £8.8Bn
https://www.statista.com/statistics/284 ... -receipts/

I suspect it's (depending on your point of view) better than that - as the £2.6bn they quote is the cost to the NHS. It doesn't seem to take account that the life expectancy of a smoker is lower so they presumably take their state pension for less than the average, less likely to need social care at end of life etc.

[dealtn]

back in te 80s I read a report that said if everybody THEN gace up smoking overnight, the base rate of income tax would have to go up 5% to cover the lost duty on tobacco...

quick googling elcits

cost to NHS wrt smoking - £2.6Bn
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/gu ... 20services.

Tobacco duty - £8.8Bn
https://www.statista.com/statistics/284 ... -receipts/

I suspect it's (depending on your point of view) better than that - as the £2.6bn they quote is the cost to the NHS. It doesn't seem to take account that the life expectancy of a smoker is lower so they presumably take their state pension for less than the average, less likely to need social care at end of life etc.

Yes but also contribute less to the productive economy by being either ill, or dead. It's certainly a complicated calculation.

[the0ni0nking]

Yes but also contribute less to the productive economy by being either ill, or dead. It's certainly a complicated calculation.

I'll accept the ill part - less sure about the dead bit. Or are we going to blame our current ills on all those people who have died previously and hurt our productivity.

[dealtn]

Yes but also contribute less to the productive economy by being either ill, or dead. It's certainly a complicated calculation.

I'll accept the ill part - less sure about the dead bit. Or are we going to blame our current ills on all those people who have died previously and hurt our productivity.

i run a business. If my most productive worker went under a bus this afternoon I would be worse off for sure. If I was a government with a debt and if I lost a net tax contributer I would be worse off.

The (unnecessary) dead have a significant impact on the economy.

[Mike4]

Yes but also contribute less to the productive economy by being either ill, or dead. It's certainly a complicated calculation.

I'll accept the ill part - less sure about the dead bit. Or are we going to blame our current ills on all those people who have died previously and hurt our productivity.

DON'T give our politicians ideas!!!

[Howyoudoin]

I'll accept the ill part - less sure about the dead bit. Or are we going to blame our current ills on all those people who have died previously and hurt our productivity.

i run a business. If my most productive worker went under a bus this afternoon I would be worse off for sure. If I was a government with a debt and if I lost a net tax contributer I would be worse off.

The (unnecessary) dead have a significant impact on the economy.

As you have said, it’s a complicated equation but I suspect that a smoker pays more in tax over his lifetime than someone who lives 10 years longer but doesn’t smoke.

It’s complicated further by the fact that those 10 years could well be when they are retired.

HYD

[dealtn]

i run a business. If my most productive worker went under a bus this afternoon I would be worse off for sure. If I was a government with a debt and if I lost a net tax contributer I would be worse off.

The (unnecessary) dead have a significant impact on the economy.

As you have said, it’s a complicated equation but I suspect that a smoker pays more in tax over his lifetime than someone who lives 10 years longer but doesn’t smoke.

It’s complicated further by the fact that those 10 years could well be when they are retired.

HYD

And further by the alternative way that money could have been spent if not paid over to HMRC (and what the government spent it on).

Money (unnecessarily) spent on the NHS trying to reverse the ill effects of smoking is largely an unproductive way to spend scarce resources. Akin to paying people to dig holes and fill them again. If that money was spent in the "real" economy, and the multiplier effects thereof too, society would no doubt be richer.

[88V8]

As you have said, it’s a complicated equation but I suspect that a smoker pays more in tax over his lifetime than someone who lives ten years longer and doesn't smoke.

Money (unnecessarily) spent on the NHS trying to reverse the ill effects of smoking is largely an unproductive way to spend scarce resources. Akin to paying people to dig holes and fill them again.

I heard on't wireless that digging and refilling holes counts towards that great god GDP.
Does NHS activity count in the same way?

V8

[dealtn]

Money (unnecessarily) spent on the NHS trying to reverse the ill effects of smoking is largely an unproductive way to spend scarce resources. Akin to paying people to dig holes and fill them again.

I heard on't wireless that digging and refilling holes counts towards that great god GDP.
Does NHS activity count in the same way?

V8

Yes. But not all GDP is productive and benefits society.

[brightncheerful]

During my 20s, I smoked cigars, King Edward mainly and sometimes the little cigarillos I bought in Holland. Cigarettes also, Passing Clouds, Sobranie and Gitane - the latter for the delightful smell. I had a go at rolling my own - Rizla papers. For a while, I rolled my own herbal cigarettes (using herbs from my garden) until a friend suggested I stop, as the smell was similar to marijuana, and the police would have to lock me up pending confirmation of nothing wrong from their forensic department, which could take ages.

On return from my first honeymoon (in Malta), my wife packed our suitcases. At the airport in customs, I said nothing to declare. So when the customs officer looked inside my suitcase and found more than 200 cigarettes, I said they weren't mine and I had no idea she had put them there. The fags were confiscated. After we left the customs hall, my wife was annoyed that she hadn't gotten away with it, but I had managed to do so on a return from Holland.

As I would often smoke a cigar at the end of a meal out, filling a restaurant with smoke didn't go down well with the other diners. As my pleasure was spoiled by others' complaints, I decided to stop. Giving up was easy - perhaps because I rarely inhaled or, when I put my mind to it, I can change instantly.

I don't miss smoking. Nowadays I can't stand the smell of tobacco and tend to keep away from it where possible.

Bnc

PS—off-topic, I know, but I haven't drunk alcohol for about 25 years: the first 5 years of Mrs Bnc, champagne at Christmas, and occasionally Cointreau in water, but that was about it. I dislike and have never drunk coffee. I tasted tea once and found it insipid. I was introduced to a tea in Hong Kong, but the same type in England didn't taste the same, so I didn't pursue it.