I don’t remember the last time I saw a six-year-old queuing for a cappuccino in Pret. Nor have I ever … Continue reading “Energy drinks – yet again, the government is jumping on the ‘banned’ wagon”

Our country is plagued with state paternalism, and it’s only getting worse. From the sugar tax and its potential expansion … Continue reading “State paternalism rests on shaky philosophical foundations”

After a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages was introduced in Britain last month, campaigners wasted no time in calling for it … Continue reading “WHO proposals for new taxes on food and drinks would cost a typical UK household up to £458 per year”

It may no longer be just parents and children that face “naming and shaming” when it comes to childhood obesity. … Continue reading “Keep the nanny state out of our schools”

Coca-Cola’s decision to shrink its bottles and raise its prices has raised eyebrows, but the economics of it are straightforward. In … Continue reading “Colour me surprised: effects of Sugar Tax exactly as predicted”

Today is the fifth anniversary of the introduction of plain packaging of tobacco in Australia. Don’t expect much in the … Continue reading “Plain packaging in Australia, 5 years on: We told you so”

Continued from here.   The Hat Tax Astonishingly, hats were subject to a special sales tax between 1784 and 1811, … Continue reading “Stupid taxes are nothing new – but that doesn’t make them any less stupid (Part 2)”

‘Excuse me, Miss, but you can’t smoke that in here’, is a phrase I’ve grown accustomed to hearing. I’ve been … Continue reading “It’s my party and I’ll vape if I want to”

The technological breakthrough of e-cigarettes has placed the medical establishment and taxpayer-funded public health advocates in a bit of a … Continue reading “Don’t turn e-cigarettes into another tool of the state health nannies”