>Obviously, as an ex-smoker, I am nowehere near as militant about this as you are. However, I must say that it is quite hypocritical of any administration who claims to be the friend of the working man to raise taxes on beer or cigarettes. Think about it - what does the working man want to do when he gets off work? Drink beer and smoke cigarettes <g>. One of the first things the labour government in England did when Wilson got in in 1963 was to raise taxes on both....
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>I realize that both are considered "sin" taxes, but I make a distinction between smoking and beer. Occasional drinking is far less serious than occasional smoking. I can have 2 guinnesses and either brush my teeth or pop a few mints, and no one will notice. :)

You say that because you like beer and you hate smoking :o)

I agree that there are dangers from smoking that don't exist from beer. However, where will the government get their tax money when everyone eventually stops smoking? Since when is it ok to tax a small group of people for the benefit of everyone else? That is hardly a fair tax scheme. It would make more sense if they paid higher insurance premiums if the medical costs are the issue. For any other tax, it is only appropriate to tax everyone just like everything else.