Comments on: Take that cigarette outside!…not in Tokyo.

By: Chip

Chip — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 02:42:52 +0000

Chriswaugh_bj,

I absolutely agree with you , it is a bigger drain than any revenue possibly gained from the taxes. However, since most of that revenue doesn’t GO to solving the health problems and other economic problems caused by cigarrette smoking, and is instead placed in the pockets of government officials, there is no incentive for change of policy. It’s a nasty horrible problem, and something needs to be done about it, but I don’t see the government doing anything about it soon.

And yeah, I’ve never liked the “it’s such a huge problem, China has too many people” arguement either. It’s a copout.

By: Benjamin Ross

Benjamin Ross — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 16:42:02 +0000

I have to say I agre with both Chip and Chris Waugh on this one. I’ve always likened the “smoking helps the economy” argument with the “cars help the economy” argument…short term economic growth in exchange for a lot of uncertainty about the future. As for the argument that “China doesn’t care about the health of its people,” I would also add to this that China also has a well-publicized population problem. Making people live longer probably is not first on the government’s agenda of social services issues.

By: chriswaugh_bj

chriswaugh_bj — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:03:34 +0000

Chip, cigarette taxes are a huge source of revenue, but spending on smoking-related diseases is an even huger drain on revenue. Add on to that economic losses caused by smoking- less productivity, more days off sick, etc, and smoking becomes a pretty huge drain on the Chinese economy.

羲: Too many Chinese people think that way. “Oh, it’s such a huge problem, well, we’ll do nothing then.” That’s bullshit. Smoking costs China too much. Something must be done. Face up to the problem and deal with it. Plenty of other countries have dealt with it, there’s no reason China can’t.

By: 羲

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:07:30 +0000

China will likely never ban smoking , because this measure is a huge subject and not only depend on government, also depend on people’s consciousness.How huge it is.

By: Chip

Chip — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 02:26:50 +0000

China will likely never ban smoking because cigarette taxes are a HUGE source of revenue for the government. That, and China has never really cared about the health of its people to begin with. Although Taiwan is no better, I believe the cigarette companies actually give out free cigaretts to the army (IE, all males in Taiwan are required to join the army, thus addicting the entire male populace as customers for life).

By: James Chiang

James Chiang — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 15:25:10 +0000

It seems the smokers In the first picture are mostly elder people.
I used to smoke when I was around 20, I thought it was very cool. But gradually, I found the elder people smoke, the migrant workers smoke, the hooligans smoke. Then, I quited it.

By: Another Laowai

Another Laowai — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 03:40:53 +0000

If China tried to ban smoking, what would people do after car accidents? Typically the two drivers will take out their “murses” and exchange cigarettes while trying place the blame on the other. If smoking was banned, OMG, they might have to exchange insurance information instead!!!

By: chriswaugh_bj

chriswaugh_bj — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 07:56:04 +0000

Actually, I’ve seen quite a few older Chinese women smoke. It seems to me that it’s those born between the 50s and late 70s who don’t smoke.

Carol: I’m not convinced that smoking helps a country’s economy. Of course, China’s high smoking rate helps Yunnan and other tobacco growing areas, but at the same time, to get a true picture of tobacco’s impact on an economy, you have to take into account money lost to problems caused by smoking. Smokers tend to be less productive and take more time off work due to illness, for starters- that costs the economy. Secondly, China spends more money treating illnesses caused by smoking than it earns through taxes on tobacco products or the state tobacco monopoly. I think on balance smoking, like other forms of pollution, is actually costing China and holding back China’s economic growth.

And I’m a reformed smoker myself.

By: matrix

matrix — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 05:40:52 +0000

well,i srongly support this regulation.smoking is fool,and what can we get from smoke?cancer,pollution ,or f**k pleasure?

By: Matt Schiavenza

Matt Schiavenza — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 04:29:42 +0000

Yeah- I’m not optimistic that smoking will become less prevalent in China anytime soon. If anything, smoking seems to be on the rise here as many “modern” young women have taken up the habit. You very rarely see women over the age of forty smoking but plenty between eighteen and thirty seem to.