TOBACCO TAXES DO REDUCE SMOKING, BUT THEIR IMPACT IS COMPLEX, SAYS CANADIAN ACADEMIC
February 1st, 2011
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE RELATIONSHIP between levels of duty and the demand for tobacco products on which these taxes are levied is at one level simple, and another complex. Obviously, if taxes were so punitive, most smokers simply could not afford a cigarette, then it would have an impact on demand. But smugglers might then rush to fill the gap. And in any case, research has shown that using taxation to influence tobacco product demand is an imprecise weapon of public policy: its effectiveness in reducing tobacco demands depends on the age, wealth, and culture of ...
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