The Smoke Has Simply Become Tax-Compliant
October 06, 2026 by substack.com
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The Smoke Has Simply Become Tax-Compliant
A cigarette does not become a public health success because the tax stamp is in order. Legal sales can still mean continued exposure to smoke, disease and premature death, even while governments collect revenue from the product causing the harm. That is the uncomfortable contradiction behind tobacco control built too heavily around compliance. The goal should not be smoke that is properly taxed; it should be fewer people inhaling smoke at all.
11.00% of the adult population are current smokers. There are approximately 2.4 million current smokers in Australia 12.90% of men are current smokers but only 9.30% of women.
SOURCE: GSTHR
