Smoking a public bonus, according to Czechs

One of the many accusations thrown at smokers is that they are costing non-smokers a fortune from treatments they receive for illnesses arising from their habit.

This is a knotty problem because on the one hand we have clear unambiguous figures for the smokers’ contribution to the Revenue. Every year, for the last three years, Irish smokers coughed up (if you'll excuse the expression) €1,500 million in taxes exclusive to smokers.

However, in public debates with our persecutors, I have been told that we cost the health service anywhere between €200 million and €2,500 million, depending on the mood they are in. The figures from this quarter are notoriously difficult to find, as smokers suffer no ailment exclusive to themselves. Certainly, smoking may be a contributor to an illness suffered by an individual, as would bad diet, lack of exercise, stress, genetics and a whole variety of other things that interact in a most complex way.

In the absence, therefore, of hard figures, I suspect spokespersons from the dark side simply make up figures on the spot. They have been doing this so successfully for so long now that the ordinary person believes that smokers do cost them money, and they understandably resent that. And hard figures from elsewhere have been hard to come by to, so I have not had anything I could compare us with, until now that is.

This little nugget from August of last year passed me by, but I'm delighted to share it with my readers now.

"An analysis the Czech Health Ministry has made shows that Czech smokers pay in consumer taxes and VAT dozens of billions of crowns more than what their treatment costs, the Czech Television (CT) public broadcaster Sunday quoted Health Minister Leos Heger (TOP 09) as saying".

The piece goes on to show that Czech smokers pay six times more than they cost their health service, which, you would have to say, is a bit of an eye-opener. Put another way, Czech smokers cost one sixth of what they contribute to society.

Now it is important to point out that the Czech Republic is one of the cheaper destinations in which to stock up with reasonably priced cigarettes, so their levels of excise and VAT are far lower that ours. On that basis, you could estimate that the Irish cost figure for smokers is about one tenth of their contribution (c. €150 Million).

So, the next time some busybody has a go at you about costing the decent non-smokers their hard earned money, you can rightfully show that, in fact, you are looking after them, even as they insult you about yourself.