UK Smoking Ban: Government U-turn
Plans to Phase Out Cigarettes Scrapped
Tobacco Industry Welcomes Decision
The UK government has announced that it will scrap plans to introduce a ban on the sale of cigarettes. The decision, which was made in November 2023, has been met with mixed reactions. Tobacco industry groups have welcomed the move, while health campaigners have expressed disappointment.
The government's original plan, which was announced in October 2023, was to phase out the sale of cigarettes over the next decade. The aim was to create a "smoke-free generation" by 2030. The government said that the ban was necessary to protect public health and reduce the number of deaths from smoking-related diseases.
However, the government has now said that it will scrap the ban in order to help fund tax cuts. The government has said that the ban would cost the Treasury £10 billion a year in lost tax revenue. The government has also said that the ban would be difficult to enforce and would lead to a rise in smuggling and illicit tobacco sales.
The tobacco industry has welcomed the government's decision to scrap the ban. The industry has said that the ban would have been a "disaster" for businesses and would have led to job losses.
Health campaigners have expressed disappointment at the government's decision. They say that the ban was necessary to protect public health and reduce the number of deaths from smoking-related diseases.
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