UK ministers consider licensing smoking
Smokers could be forced to pay for a Government tobacco licence in order to carry on buying cigarettes under draconian proposals being considered by ministers.Government advisers have drawn up plans for a smoking permit – similar to the one needed to watch TV – which all smokers would have to carry.
Health experts have welcomed the move, pointing out that Britons are more likely to die from smoking-related diseases than those in any other European country. But the idea has triggered a furious backlash from smokers’ groups, who claim it is evidence of a “bully state”.
Under the plans, anyone who refused to pay for a permit would be banned from buying cigarettes from any outlet.
Although a licence could cost as little as £10 a year, forms would be made deliberately complex to deter people from applying.
Smokers could also be forced to obtain a doctor’s signature, declaring their health was not at “massive risk” from their habit.
Professor Le Grand said the proposal was an example of “libertarian paternalism” – the Government would leave people free to make their own decisions but would “nudge them” in the right direction.
So you can compare… they charge TV owners £135.50/year to pay for the BBC and what not. Only £45.50 if it’s a black and white TV. I’ve talked about why this is an issue in the first place. Socialism. Instead of letting individuals and companies voluntarily deal with one another the monopoly on violence has used its aura of legitimacy to create a monopoly on healthcare. Now that everyone has a vested interest in the cost of healthcare they want to keep costs down. To keep costs down they have to do what they complained about when it wasn’t a monopoly system. Ration the service. Different methods of dealing with scarcity but all things being equal (they aren’t, government monopolies tend to be inefficient and deinsensitivize individuals and markets more than not leading to a negative sum game) the output is the same. So to make up for it they try to impliment a hybrid system requiring everyone to pay into it but those who throw off the balance have to pay more on top. Sortof defeats the general purpose of insurance.
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