Statistics!

Without wanting to enter the shark infested waters of the smoking ban, I've been getting increasingly grumpy about the misleading use of statistics being bandied around lately...
"£1.5 billion spent each year by the NHS curing smoking related diseases" is getting mentioned in every news report lately.
They seem to neglect to mention that £10 billion [1] gets raised in cigarette tax revenue each year.
And that's not even taking into account the fact smokers die earlier (and hence draw less pension), and the jobs supported directly or indirectly by the tobacco trade.
So just going with the cost vs revenue figure, that's an £8.5 billion deficit - or, with 60 million people in the UK, £141 extra tax for every man, woman and child. That money has to come from somewhere.

To re-iterate, not wanting to get into the whole smoking debate as such, the lines are well and truly drawn on that one, people have picked their side and are unlikely to change it (ie. no point starting another internet flame war); I'm just grumpy at the misuse of statistics.

Citations:
[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/...ile/459157.stm

Here's me thinking it was gonna be a discussion on statistical mathematics...I really am a geek.

But a good point. And I always think: what if everyone did stop smoking? Where would we get the money from that isnt coming from smoking anymore?

It'd be quite scary if people did stop smoking.

Not that I'm encouraging it

But...thanks to all you people who do smoke for keeping the prices of everything else down a little bit

Matt

[Lissa]

Originally Posted by alpinestarhero

But...thanks to all you people who do smoke for keeping the prices of everything else down a little bit

Matt

Well, thank you, Matt

And I will keep on doing my bit to keep prices down

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by alpinestarhero

...I always think: what if everyone did stop smoking? Where would we get the money from that isnt coming from smoking anymore?

It'd be quite scary if people did stop smoking.

[cynical]

and up pops road pricing

[/cynical]

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

[cynical]

and up pops road pricing

[/cynical]

Ooooh... you're onto something there.

We need to make driving socially unacceptable.
Driving costs the NHS billions every year.
Driving pollutes the atmosphere.
The health of both drivers and pedestrians (or passive drivers, as they'll be called) is harmed.

My god, anyone recognize those arguments?

Yeah, they're only banning it now because the amount of illegally imported cigarettes is rising to the level that makes it unprofitable for the government.

[Spiderman]

"Statistics have proven that statistics can prove whatever you want them to prove!"

30% of all statistics are made up

[Spiderman]

i heard its was closer to 48.735%

Statistics have also proved that 98% of people don't give a s**t about the statistics!