Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Stan Rogers]

http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_Dm_detail.htm?No=108776

[sligo]

This would be all well and good if we were talking about necessities such as milk, rice and cabbage (at Kimchi making time), but smoking is a luxury, albeit one that hooks you in. Why appease those who engage in a socially disruptive and health destroying habbit whose benfits for the sole user are vastly outweighed by the negative impact on said user and anyone in the nearby vacinity.

If you want to smoke, go ahead, but for the government to try and help people to do it is a very backwards decision in this day and age. What next, free soju for the drunks? Low price heroin for those needing a fix? 6 year old boys for paedos who want a bit of fun? (end on a spot of sensationalism)

[Stan Rogers]

The politicians aren't stupid. Elderly people make up a large segment of the ruling government's power base. If the old man wants cheap smokes he's going to get them.

The carbon monoxide from the millions of cars in such a small area are far more dangerous to your health than a smoker in the room.

[slothrop]

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[atwood]

[Stan Rogers]

[The Cosmic Hum]

[andrewchon]

I think this is just a political dodge.

1. Son of a Saenuri rep. with 6-figure salary was recently busted for dodging payments to the National Health insurance.

2. NHI annnounce yesterday that they were $600 mil in the red.

3. Cig tax was supposed to pay for NHI, rich are avoiding paying.

Conclusion: poor subsidize the rich's healthcare,which is what trickle-down economy is supposed to do.
You voted us in, telling half-truth is not lying, NO CHEAP CIGS! $ $

[atwood]

[yodanole]

In fact, in the mid '90s, when the government raised the prices on beer & imported liquor, they said soju would be unaffected out of concern for the working man. They could bring back the Sol Namu ( Pine Tree )cigarrettes that they used to provide for the military. I used to buy those for W 400.

[jcd]

[World Traveler]

From Wiki:

One of the reasons for the support of increased cigarette taxes among public health officials is that many studies show that this leads to a decrease in smoking rates.[16] The relationship between smoking rates and cigarette taxes follows the property of elasticity; the greater the amount of the tax increase, the fewer cigarettes that are bought and consumed.[17] This is especially prevalent amongst teenagers. For every ten percent increase in the price of a pack of cigarettes, youth smoking rates overall drop about seven percent.[18] This rate is also true amongst minorities and low income population smokers.[19] The rates of calls to quitting hot-lines are directly related to cigarette tax hikes. When Wisconsin raised its state cigarette tax to $1.00 per pack, the hot-line received a record of 20,000 calls in a two month time period versus its typical 9,000 calls annually.[20]

[Stan Rogers]

Any Canadian could tell you that high taxes did not eradicate smoking in that country. It just created a new business for criminals to get into.

Korea would be no different.

[atwood]

[Landros]

the whole problem is that people think that raising tax on cigarettes will stop people from smoking and if people stop smoking there won't be lung cancer or heart attacks and we won't have to pay for health care. but actually if people live longer they will just get sick later and be in the hospital when they are older. People make all these laws to just stop others from doing stuff that bothers them but everything bothers someone.

So you can't smoke because I don't like the smell and you can't drink because it bothers me and your music is too loud and your food stinks and eventually you won't be allowed to do anything and either will I.