Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am against a tax increase on cigarettes again this year. I would much prefer that more money be spent on education and ensuring our young population does not start smoking. I know smoking is bad for people but I worry about two things when it comes to increasing the tax on cigarettes for people who are addicted.

Many of them would tell you that they have no other diversion but smoking their cigarettes at a certain time of the day or night. The price is hurting them. The price of everything has gone up. There is another 50 cent increase this year. People were resigned to the fact that it was going to happen, but I think it was the wrong way to go. It is hurting people who have problems with depression. They treat it as their bit of enjoyment or diversion. More and more people smoke outside their own doors, never mind public places, where they have to go outside anyway. We see people smoking outside their own homes even in secluded places. They may even be the only one in the house. They have retained the habit from public places and they smoke outside. They feel justified after their hard day of work, or whatever disappointment or enjoyment they may have had during the day, and need to smoke the cigarettes.

The other thing that I worry about is that young people will find them too expensive and they will go for some other diversion, such as smoking cannabis, which would lead them to taking drugs. That would be much worse than the cigarettes. We know the scourge of drugs and the problems that they create even in rural communities, small country villages and towns. The question people are asked is, "Do you want a bit of stuff?" I am sad to see that. We all know that cigarettes are bad and affect people's health, but sadly people got addicted over the years and cannot give them up. I worry that young people may go a different way and find a cheaper alternative in the drugs, which may be more expensive in the long run. Those are my two reasons for opposing the increase on cigarettes.

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