New Zealand’s cigarette ban will only serve to fuel illegality
10 December 2021
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Economic Theory
10 December 2021
In the Media
Mark Littlewood writes for The Times
13 December 2021
Tax and Fiscal Policy
19 November 2024
Christopher Snowdon comments for The Express
Christopher Snowdon, the IEA’s Head of Lifestyle Economics, has commented in The Express on New Zealand’s decision to introduce rules that would prohibit anyone currently under 14 to buy cigarettes for the rest of their lives.
Christopher argues that such intervention is ineffective and has a proven record of boosting black market activity.
“The last government that tried to ban smoking was ISIS.”
“Before that, the only place where the sale of cigarettes was banned was Bhutan, but that prohibition ended in 2020 because tobacco smugglers were bringing COVID-19 into the country.”
“New Zealand’s proposal is slightly more sophisticated, but it will lead to the same problems of criminality and corruption that always occur when governments try to ban popular products.”
Read the full article here.
Christopher argues that such intervention is ineffective and has a proven record of boosting black market activity.
“The last government that tried to ban smoking was ISIS.”
“Before that, the only place where the sale of cigarettes was banned was Bhutan, but that prohibition ended in 2020 because tobacco smugglers were bringing COVID-19 into the country.”
“New Zealand’s proposal is slightly more sophisticated, but it will lead to the same problems of criminality and corruption that always occur when governments try to ban popular products.”
Read the full article here.
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