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Quitline fielded record numbers of calls yesterday from people considering dropping their smoking habits after increases in tobacco excise tax were rushed through parliament on Wednesday night.
Parliament voted 118-4 to enact legislation that puts in place three tobacco excise increases of 10% - the first came in at midnight, the second will come into force in January and the third at the beginning of 2012.
The Quit Group chief executive Paula Snowden said 610 calls were taken by Quitline advisors on a day in 2008 when a hard-hitting advertising campaign was launched, but many more than that had called following the tax hikes.
"Quitline advisors have never spoken to this many people in one day, even going back to the days when the Quitline first opened a decade ago and nicotine replacement therapy was first subsidised," Snowden said.
"The majority of our callers have been thinking of quitting for some time but tell us this has given them the incentive they needed to quit."
She said the majority of smokers wanted to quit and were waiting for the right time, and for many, that time had arrived.
Many were asking for the subsidised patches, gum and lozenges available which could help deal with cravings. Callers could get an eight week supply for $3.
Meanwhile, there have been reports of smokers having stocked up on tobacco before the first price rise kicked in, and a tobacco company has warned the situation could see a spike in dairy robberies .
Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia, who got the bill through Parliament, said her next objective was to get tobacco products off shelves and out of sight.
The Australian government has also moved to hit smokers in the pocket, yesterday announcing that tobacco excise would go up by 25%, restrictions would be placed on advertising and over $A$27 (NZ$33) million was to be spent on anti-smoking campaigns.
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Add a Comment:
Post new commentBlueEggCarton said on 2010-05-29 @ 21:08 NZDT: Report abusive post
My name is Becky and I am 13 yrs old.Like a lot of families in NZ my family is on the lower end of wage earners, on top of that my father is a smoker & has been for sometime.The new law has put great strain on us as a family as a lot of money already goes to purchasing cigaretes.It is not fair as even tho my father has tried to giv up numerous times b4 I can tell that he isnt going to happen in the near future. In the meantime we hav 2 sufer by not being able 2 aford various things financially!
ALSKI said on 2010-05-03 @ 11:08 NZDT: Report abusive post
So, it was the Maori Party that instigated this tobacco tax hike and the government rushed the legislation through under urgency to appease them because they need their vote to carry their own. The Maori Party was formed to improve the lot of Maori, a racist attitude but neverthless that is what they should stick to and if there is a problem with smoking and Maori health then they should address that only and butt out of imposing their crusades on the rest of us
jezebell said on 2010-05-01 @ 14:44 NZDT: Report abusive post
Sick and tired from hearing that smoking kills- What a lot of B.S.- diseases- as cancer kill, but not smoking. It is the same as saying that driving kills- you increase your chances of being in car crash by 80% when you drve a car, so- Driving kills!!!. And smoking increasing your chances of getting a cancer by what -30%? Did they forget to mention positive sides of smoking- of cause it is heresy!!! Let's start a witch hunt and burn smoking heretics at stake. Well done Great Inquisitors!!!!
leonie47 said on 2010-04-30 @ 10:30 NZDT: Report abusive post
Well i think its not fair on the people that have allready tryed to give up smoking and have not succeeded.they are on medication that prevents them from trying the pills that are out. So are really struggling with the habit.This is what im going through at the moment and im sure there are others out there like myself and this price increase is so unfair.
ALSKI said on 2010-04-30 @ 09:09 NZDT: Report abusive post
MOUTHGUARD if you thought i meant change to Labour, no way! Labour and National work hand in glove. Witness the buyback of the creamed off rail system.The taxpayer is now forking out again to upgrade the rolling stock and system ready for the next sell off to the "creamers" What's the betting that National will increase the alcohol tax "Due to overwhelming public concern about the unfairness of taxing tobacco to address health concerns and not applying the same to alcohol"