"Fake smokes"

McMurphy

I was listening to a news article on the radio yesterday about a container of cigarettes that had been ceized at Dublin Port.

Can't remember the value think it was €5m or so (I assume Irish retail value with taxes etc)

On the news article they had a lad on being interviewed warning the public to basically stay clear of these smokes, and that although people might feel that they were getting a "bargain" at €4/5 a box, these were possibly/probably cheap imports from the far east, containing lots of nasty chemicals and poisons. If I'm completely honest, it sounded like a very thinly veiled advertisement for our heavily taxed smokes on behalf of the govt.

I don't smoke myself, but I know a box of smokes is €12 (I believe). :eek:

So it got me wondering, if possibly the customs guy might be indulging in a bit of the old scaremongering in an effort to scare people away from smoking what he reckoned were "were possibly counterfeit cigarettes from the Far East that were potentially full of toxins and poisons" (and costing the state millions in lost revenue) in an effort to persuade them to buy the €12 boxes of our nice toxin and poison free smokes that are sold with about 85% of the cost going to f revenue via tax?

As I said. I don't smoke, but at those sort of price differences, if I did, I'd be mighty tempted.

What do you smokers/non smokers reckon?

Scaremongering or legitimate scares?

Poll added.

tomwaterford

I think the tar content do be wicked high in some of them illegal fags??



But for e40 for 200 vs e12 for 20....its the government making the market for them now

munchkin_utd

I've a friend from Bosnia whose dad insists he brings packs of Marlboro back from IRL / UK as they are way better quality than the much cheaper Marlboros they get in the Balkan areas, so I'd believe it that theres a difference in whats sold through the legal channels.

As to the far east, if theres people out there looking to make a quick buck selling baby milk which is poisonous (and theres now smuggling of baby milk from European stores to the far east) then why wouldnt there be dodgy cigarettes ?

greenflash

I'm not a fan of tobacco but was interested to hear this reported on the radio yesterday. I think it said the cheap fags would have cost the state €4-5m in revenue, which is bollocks. It would have taken thousands from the Revenue but conversely would have left more cash in the consumers' pockets to spend on other high tax goods like booze and sugary drinks.

This is entirely of the govts making.

There are other ways to get people to stop smoking, but taxing it to the hilt just leads us to crooks importing it. I know a good few people that get their bacco from "abroad".

It amazes me how counter intuitive these measures are.

moonlighting

Dont smoke either but the price is shocking. I do a lot of work in the electronics field and sometimes we end up with counter fit electronics due to the low price. 9 times out of 10 the quality is pure s**t and the product fails.
I can only images what counterfeit cigarettes are made of and the quality of the factory they were produced in.

I think myself when something gets to expensive in this country due to the government you just have to give up that product / hobby.
I am into sports cars but no way in the f**k am i playing 1800 a year tax.
I like beer but only drink it on special occasions due to the price.
government can go f**k em selves

If the price of sugar and cans of coke goes up ill be giving that s**t up too.

lazybones32

The Govt. are interested in figures and balancing the books. This is about money.

Hitman3000

Yes folks buy the 'healthy' cigarettes with excise duty on them. If you're stupid enough to smoke zero sympathy.

OldGoat

Who's pockets are you lining if you buy the smuggled ones? I think I'd rather pay the tax.

Hitman3000

OldGoat wrote:

Who's pockets are you lining if you buy the smuggled ones? I think I'd rather pay the tax.

Yeah because the state spends your taxes in a fair and responsible manner. lol.

OldGoat

Hitman3000 wrote: »

Yeah because the state spends your taxes in a fair and responsible manner. lol.

Hyperbole aside then Mostly yes. Not always to my liking but ye know, big picture - mostly doing ok.

harry Bailey esq

tomwaterford wrote: »

I think the tar content do be wicked high in some of them illegal fags??



But for e40 for 200 vs e12 for 20....its the government making the market for them now

Indeed they are, but the fake smokes/tobacco taste rotten. I jump on a Ryanair flight every few months and f*ck off to the continent and stock up on amber leaf airside on the return flight. I ideally try get a return flight on the same day but failing that I'll book into a cheap hotel and hit the nearby bars. Even taking into account the cost of that I still save a fortune.

SEPT 23 1989

smoked a fake one once

it was like inhaling burning plastic

Hector Savage

Rick Shaw wrote: »

I was listening to a news article on the radio yesterday about a container of cigarettes that had been ceized at Dublin Port.

Can't remember the value think it was €5m or so (I assume Irish retail value with taxes etc)

On the news article they had a lad on being interviewed warning the public to basically stay clear of these smokes, and that although people might feel that they were getting a "bargain" at €4/5 a box, these were possibly/probably cheap imports from the far east, containing lots of nasty chemicals and poisons. If I'm completely honest, it sounded like a very thinly veiled advertisement for our heavily taxed smokes on behalf of the govt.

I don't smoke myself, but I know a box of smokes is €12 (I believe). :eek:

So it got me wondering, if possibly the customs guy might be indulging in a bit of the old scaremongering in an effort to scare people away from smoking what he reckoned were "were possibly counterfeit cigarettes from the Far East that were potentially full of toxins and poisons" (and costing the state millions in lost revenue) in an effort to persuade them to buy the €12 boxes of our nice toxin and poison free smokes that are sold with about 85% of the cost going to f revenue via tax?

As I said. I don't smoke, but at those sort of price differences, if I did, I'd be mighty tempted.

What do you smokers/non smokers reckon?

Scaremongering or legitimate scares?

Poll added.

€12 for a box of 20 ?
Do they still sell boxes of 10 ?

And do shops next to schools still sell a "Loose"

When I was in school a shop beside us did that, 20p for a loose ... he made a fortune.

sbsquarepants

The things are fúcking poison anyway - health concerns my arse!

o1s1n

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

Indeed they are, but the fake smokes/tobacco taste rotten. I jump on a Ryanair flight every few months and f*ck off to the continent and stock up on amber leaf airside on the return flight. I ideally try get a return flight on the same day but failing that I'll book into a cheap hotel and hit the nearby bars. Even taking into account the cost of that I still save a fortune.

You know you have a serious habit when you're booking flights to source cheaper fags

McMurphy

tomwaterford wrote: »

I think the tar content do be wicked high in some of them illegal fags??



But for e40 for 200 vs e12 for 20....its the government making the market for them now

But this is an assumption that they are indeed cheap/counterfeit smokes from the Far East.

For all anyone knows these could have been imports from any of the various EU countries that have smokes on sale at a fraction of the price they are here. (But yet I assume the same product)

If the notion exists that the cheaper alternative is a dangerous alternative to the heavily taxed Irish one. Job done.

Kimbot

Hector Savage wrote: »

€12 for a box of 20 ?
Do they still sell boxes of 10 ?

And do shops next to schools still sell a "Loose"

When I was in school a shop beside us did that, 20p for a loose ... he made a fortune.

Boxes of 10 went out with the dinosaurs at this stage

Jim Bob Scratcher

12 euro for a box of 20 ? Does the government want the childer to take up smoking crystal meth or wha ? because that **** is much cheaper than actual tobacco

MilesMorales1

Fake smokes are ****ing awful. I bought some from a certain street in Dublin City once, and they tasted awful, worse than normal ones, so I took one out of the packet and tore it open, it was completely black inside, couldn't even tell if there was any tobacco in it at all.

harry Bailey esq

o1s1n wrote: »

You know you have a serious habit when you're booking flights to source cheaper fags

It just makes sense financially,I'll spend around €800,and it works out at about a third of the Irish retail price. Take Schipol for instance, ten 50g pouches of amber cost €100. Tenner for 50g.The current price for a 30g pouch in Ireland is €16. Do the math. Plus, if I do an overnight I get to go on the lash for the day in Brussels or Amsterdam for the day. And I do like the odd few jars from time to time it has to be said.

GreeBo

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

It just makes sense financially

Nothing about smoking "makes sense financially".

o1s1n

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

It just makes sense financially,I'll spend around €800,and it works out at about a third of the Irish retail price. Take Schipol for instance, ten 50g pouches of amber cost €100. Tenner for 50g.The current price for a 30g pouch in Ireland is €16. Do the math. Plus, if I do an overnight I get to go on the lash for the day in Brussels or Amsterdam for the day. And I do like the odd few jars from time to time it has to be said.

Yeah I decided to give up completely recently when the 12g pouches vanished and 30g became the minimum.

The amount of times I just fancied a couple of smokes with a pint on an evening and then woke up with pretty much a full 30g pouch in my pocket. Really bloody annoying.

Maximus Alexander

The smokes with the tax on them are already full of poison and toxins. Sure they keep telling us that themselves. Wtf?

harry Bailey esq

GreeBo wrote: »

Nothing about smoking "makes sense financially".

But be a realist for a moment, a sizeable portion of the population smoke, and the majority of smokers wish they never started. The government are making billions every year off the back of peoples addictions. Is Leo in cahoots with the Kinahans? They both make their coin the same way.

SeanW

harry Bailey esq wrote: »

It just makes sense financially,I'll spend around €800,and it works out at about a third of the Irish retail price. Take Schipol for instance, ten 50g pouches of amber cost €100. Tenner for 50g.The current price for a 30g pouch in Ireland is €16. Do the math. Plus, if I do an overnight I get to go on the lash for the day in Brussels or Amsterdam for the day. And I do like the odd few jars from time to time it has to be said.

Not to give ultimately bad advice (because I don't encourage ppl to smoke) but you might consider going to Belgium instead of the Netherlands, "Tabak" seems to be much cheaper there and there are discount tobacco stores just inside Belgium's borders, I even saw tobacco being sold by the bucket in one place.

Rick Shaw

Rick Shaw wrote: »

On the news article they had a lad on being interviewed warning the public to basically stay clear of these smokes, and that although people might feel that they were getting a "bargain" at €4/5 a box, these were possibly/probably cheap imports from the far east, containing lots of nasty chemicals and poisons

as opposed to the not nasty chemicals and poisons in legit fags?