Its all about the money
The only reason I am giving up is because of the extreme amount of taxation that cigarettes have on them. Yes I know tax hasn't always been this high but lets assume it goes on at ONLY the level its at now. For every cigarette I smoke, I give the government 48c Yep you heard that right. Therefore for my 45 a day habit thats around $22 a day i give them. That's $8000 per year and in the 42 years of absolutely no health problems it comes in at around $330,000. Think of it, its a staggering amount for which I've received no benefits and no credits of any kind. And thats why this nanny state who claim to be protecting the children, yet don't penalise the unvaccinated in a monetary for , won't be getting my cash out of me anymore. Let them figure out a new group to fund their superannuation
I totally agree with you Miruwin. It's always infuriated me that smokers are labelled as 'costing the health system millions of dollars', BUT, when you consider the tax we've paid on cigarettes plus the Medicare levy, plus Private Health Insurance (for those who can afford it), I think we've more than paid our dues to be able to access the health system without being made to feel like a leper. Like you, I rarely need to go to a doctor, and hospital procedures are very few and far between. A big question is...if everybody stopped smoking, where would those lost tax dollars come from? They'll hit us with something else that's for sure. Anyway, good on you for quitting. It's another excellent reason to put on the list of why we should quit :)
Hi Miruwin, Agree, the cost of cigarettes in this country is massive... And for me as well the main reason to stop, once I moved to Australia.
Now funny enough, while on my journey of not quitting, I realised that there are hundreds of better reasons to stop (smell, how it rules our thoughts- behaviour, less fit, time wasting etc..) It helps to start collecting them on your journey, as these arguments really support you getting an Ex- smoker...
So good luck with your journey....Its taff but you can do it...