American smokers pay less duty because they don’t have an NHS to fund which treats the hundreds of thousands of people suffering smoking related illnesses each year. If the UK stopped the NHS treating smoking related ilnesses and insisted smokers had to buy private healthcare, the duty could be reduced.
It won’t happen of course, but that’s the theory!
True. Or it would be if cigarette taxes were earmarked to go to the NHS. They are not. They go into the general slush fund to pay for whatever boondoggle currently has the Government’s panties in a wad.
Everyone working here pay 9% of their GROSS income purely to support the NHS and unemployment. Then we are taxed on top of that at between 23 and 40% on our NET earnings, a sales tax on everything but food and books of 20%, our local taxes based on the value of your home (if you rent, the landlord pays), a 70% tax on the cost of fuel .....
Worked it out once that in an average year, everything I earn after the 15th of August is mine, and that is only because I have a very good (and expensive) accountant.
Sorry for the minor rant - the Infernal Revenue really reamed me last quarter and am still annoyed!