Monday, March 19, 2007

My RP Intro

Cigarette, for some people, may play a necessary role in their daily life. Also, many people do know that indeed cigarette is no good to anyone. However, the smoking population is still growing. For protecting the people who don't smoke, governments of many countries take measures to protect the non-smokers. Finding that to raise the taxes on cigarettes, though cause higher price, may be a better way to directly reduce the consumption on cigarettes. Since additional taxes increases the cost of sales and it will reflects the cost on the prices, finally higher prices decrease the smoker's will of purchasing. It may just an application of marketing principle, but it helps a lot in reducing the consumption of cigarettes. In addition, one great accessional effect is reducing the harm of secondhand smoke.

Some smoke for relaxation or releasing emotions, some smoke for expressing certain manliness or sex appeal, others merely get into a habit of smoking. However, what about the people beside those smokers? The cigarette harms is now one serious problem for public heath in the world, there are more than one billion smokers all over the world. And it was estimated that every year there are ten million people die of lung cancer caused by smoking. And some people's cancer comes from the people around them who smoke, that is, the serious harm of secondhand smoke.

Though some related laws already restrict the smoking areas and ages for smokers, for further decreasing the influence of secondhand smoke and public health, our government is supposed to raise more taxes on the cigarette. The price of cigarette may hence rise, also it can reduce the customers' desire for purchasing cigarette as well as the generation of secondhand smoke directly or indirectly.The article here is talking about the influence of the additional taxes on cigarette, even if the result of raising tax includes both positive and negative outcomes. The policy of raising tax on cigarette do helps public health a lot. Public health is one important public benefit, it should be prior to economic profits. Our government should takes this into consideration and determines to prohibit the harms of cigarette. After all, without healthy body no one can enjoy the economic profits.

1 comment:

Leo Wang said...

I think you have a clear argumentation. But be careful don't only refer to second hand data to support your ideas. You should also have creative and personal thinking in your rp.