New Zealand - health researchers calling on government to ban importation of tobacco..

August 4, 2009 - Health researchers are calling on the Government to ban the importation of tobacco and to halt to the sale of duty free cigarettes on entry to New Zealand.
The call follows a new University of Otago study of street-collected cigarette packs indicates the Government is missing out on at least $36 million dollars of tax because of the consumption of foreign duty free cigarettes and those purchased in other countries. More than 3% of the packs collected were foreign tobacco.

The study's lead investigator, Nick Wilson, says if those packets had been New Zealand products, the tax revenue money could have been used to fund campaigns encouraging people to quit smoking.

Litter study identifies missed tobacco tax revenue, August 4, 2009.

Health researchers need something positive to happen. New Zealand - government may NOT support tobacco display bans...

Dr Wilson says there are about 5000 smoking-related deaths in New Zealand (Population of New Zealand: 4,173,460 (July 2008 est.)) each year and the Government needs to look closely at the issue.

Reference: Call on Government to ban importation of tobacco, Radio New Zealand, 8/4/2009.

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