Costa Rica is following in the footsteps of the US with their quadruple raise in cigarette tax and smoking bans in certain public place
It seems that Costa Rica’s government is following in California’s and other US States footsteps by proposing a new tax on cigarettes to increase their revenue.
Yes I know – cigs are bad, unhealthy, lead to lung cancer, and blab blab blab…
This law would limit smoking in some work places, public recreation, and cultural areas and near health centers like hospitals, clients and wellness centers. However, it is unclear if the law will affect the private sector of health facilities. Costa Rica private sector for wellness and recovery centers is one of the fastest growing in the world.
A few legislators are supporting a bill (of course backed by the Health Ministry) that would ALSO quadruple the cost of cigarettes.
Yes you read me right! Okay, I can see maybe double, but Quadruple! That’s a big hit to penalize those that do smoke.
Now they want about $0.18 more per cigs or about $3.50 more per pack (or $1.10 for the cheap brands to $4.67 for the expensive) making the cigs almost just as expensive as what other US States are demanding.
If you can see over the counter, kids can buy cigarettes
Interesting, this new tax hike has mixed feelings. Tico Times, the newspaper reports, smokers that have been following the news welcomed the tax hike and many remarks were positive, meaning … it will just make me smoke less. Some anti-smokers hypocrites have declared there is an epidemic here as they sell cigs to underage kids.
Costa Rica smoking law is 18, but rarely enforced because the rule of thumb is, if the person can see over the counter, they are sold cigarettes.
And of course, it has angered many as anything that demands a higher cost.
Some of the smaller mom and pop shops, remark, “Cigarettes sales is not their highest profit area”, where others say, “Profit is profit … every bit counts in this trying economy.”
This initiative has been sparked and part of an agreement years ago that Costa Rica had with the World Health Organization to address Costa Rica’s “epidemic” smoking problem.
According to Costa Rica Social Security System’s Website about 12 percent of the population (about 400,000 men and 140,000 women) smoke and strangely enough, that is about the same percentage in the US.
Oh well … on to the next blog….
That’ll put the crime rate through the roof. Brilliant.
Hang all govt. ” leaders” now.
Jones has it right. Prison Planet.