Show me a single historical example of when applying a tax to a legitimate market had a restrictive effect upon a parallel black market.
While I am waiting, let’s talk about the UCP government’s plan to reward Alberta smokers who after being hounded, shunned, ostracized, and belittled for well over two decades, stumbled upon vaping, and finally did what governments, health bodies, and their busy body neighbors had been demanding.
They quit smoking cigarettes. Their reward for quitting will be to pay a 20% tax on the product they found worked for them. They will pay this tax “for the sake of Alberta’s children” who are dabbling in vaping and being exposed to nicotine at a (national) rate of roughly 20% (Past 30 day use).
It doesn’t matter that during the campaign, the UCP government stated to CBC “We do not intend to introduce new taxes on products that are already illegal for minors to obtain”.
Les Hagen of Action On Smoking and Health, for all of his cries of “Think of the children”, actually could care less about their well being beyond being a flag to wave in his ideological war against smoking which has, in fact, become an ideological war against smokers. If he did he might have mentioned the student drinking rate from the same report (Summary of results Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs Survey 2018-19) – 44%, or the 23% who reported high risk (binge) drinking behavior. He might be concerned with those smoking cannabis – 18%, or those who reported using both liquor and cannabis together at the same time – 12%.
Thomas Kirsop – Morinville News – March 3, 2020.
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