Bell Block Smokers beware……A packet of cigarettes goes up in price again today, Wednesday the 1st January 2014. A tax increase of 10 per cent is part of an initiative which sees tobacco go up in price every January until 2016. It’s part of the government plan to stamp out smoking. Dr Jan Pearson of the Cancer Society says price increases have proven to be the best way to encourage smokers to stop. “Initially when we had tax increases people often cut down on the numbers they were smoking, but as the price increases then they seriously think about quitting more often.” The average packet-a-day smoker spends $7000 a year on cigarettes. Dr Pearson says aside from health reasons stopping smoking has other benefits. “One way of increasing amount of money in a household is quitting smoking, it’s also a great way of setting an example for children and other family members.” In the photo below we caught up with Kalvin Singh from Big Basket Wholesale Food Mart in Bell Block who is keeping all his old stock at the old price until the new stock replaces them.
