P SCHOFIELD (LET, November 11) seems to think like a lot of people that a ban on smoking means the Chancellor loses out on revenue.
If people give up smoking what happens to the money they save by not buying cigarettes? They spend it on other things, so pay tax, VAT etc. No loss there, then.
If they don't spend it but save it and it is put in a bank then they pay tax on the interest.
If it is invested elsewhere then most investments attract tax.
Even if they put it in a no-tax- paying investment, the money is used by the company, invested to further its growth, all taxed.
Even if you invest in government stocks then the Chancellor still receives your money for him to use. So no loss there.
An added bonus would be that the now non-smoker is far less likely to require NHS treatment, so the NHS benefits in having more money available for non-smoking related illnesses, so therefore we all benefit from smokers giving up.
LAURENCE JOHN YATES, Hawkshaw Avenue, Darwen.
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