From The Daily Mail:
"Ladies and gentleman, thank you for smoking..." said [Australian Liberal Democrat Senator David Leyonhjelm], "Your generosity to the nation's treasury is truly staggering."
"The government collects around $8 billion in tobacco excise each year. That's a lot of cash. Last year, smokers imposed $318.4 million in net costs on Australia's healthcare system. Depending on rainfall, smokers also cost the taxpayer about $150 million a year in bushfire control.
"If you do even basic arithmetic, these figures disclose that you wonderful, generous smokers, pay 17 times as much as you cost."
He argued that the true intention of smoking taxes was for the government to raise money, not to help people improve their health.
Mr Leyonhjelm, we salute you!
Debate Magazine
