[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by kizzy

Who cares?..What is the relevance of knowing how much it will cost the economy if everyone stopped?
So what if it's 12M or 20M?
The government have decided in their infinate wisdom to encourage people to stop smoking, there may be other medical or societal factors that they have considered long term we don't know....

Well for me there is a strong relevance as to the loss of revenue and indeed it was mentioned in the OP as to the costs to the NHS of people smoking, so it is also only right and relevant to look at the other side of that and the duties raised and paid for by those who do smoke.

The raising of revenue from tobacco duty was a small end part of my first post on this issue, I then later agreed with and was very interested in the point Livia made as to the actual figures.

So as a poster with an opinion on smoking despite never being a smoker myself,I will say all I believe to be relevant as to the issue,never though ever saying that people should not be helped to stop smoking as long as they want to stop and need help to stop.

What though is irrelevant to you personally,may not be irrelevant to others however.
You chose to come back at me and nitpick on that small point in my posts so naturally I will defend my corner and opinion.
Disagreeing is one thing, however calling peoples attitudes wrong because they hold a different opinion to you or are saying something you consider irrelevant does not in any way make their opinion invalid as to their points.

I find many things people say on here irrelevant to me but I don't pull them up about it willy nilly,I believe posters should be able to, and indeed are , to make their points as they see fit without others getting at them in petty fashion.