Government plays politics with fags & booze

The government has agreed to the Maori party’s request to increase the price of tobacco because it’s bad for you, but they refuse to do the same for alcohol, says Jim Anderton MP for Wigram and Progressive Party leader.

“The National government has sunk to new levels of political cynicism tonight in a move which smacks of hypocrisy at best, and political gamesmanship at worst,” Jim Anderton said.

“The ink had barely dried on the Law Commission’s report when Justice Minister Simon Power rejected the report’s recommendation for a 50 percent increase to the excise tax on alcohol.

“24 hours later it’s agreed to keep the Maori Party happy, and rush a bill through parliament under extra-ordinary urgency to increase the price of tobacco, because says Tariana Turia, co-leader of the Maori Party “We know that putting up the price is a powerful tool to reduce smoking”.

“Well guess what? Increasing the price of alcohol would reduce the number of teenagers buying cheap alco-pops at the dairy too. The same argument applies.

“I’m in favour of this increase in the price of tobacco. But it beggars belief that this government can’t see the irony in rejecting an excise tax on alcohol one day, and accepting an increase of 30% plus on cigarettes the next,” Jim Anderton said.

Abuse of alcohol has been proven to cause brain damage, aggression and it can cause cancer.

“Then there are the people who get hurt by heavy drinkers. 60 percent of people arrested by the police were under the influence of alcohol when they committed their crime. There are now 70,000 physical and sexual assaults a year in New Zealand that can be attributed to alcohol abuse. That’s 1350 a week.

“Clearly this government understands that price is the most effective way to change people’s behaviour. If you make it cheaper people buy it. If you make it more expensive they don’t.That makes their rejection of an increase in the excise tax on alcohol cynical and irresponsible in the extreme,” Jim Anderton said.

ENDS

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