The first pint I ever bought cost 22p.
The first packet of cigarettes I ever bought cost me 12p
I'm talking new money here - new money meaning decimal money.
We're talking the last 33 years or there abouts.
Apparently back in 1976 when I bought my first packet of fags the government duty was something 2p, so a sixth of the money for fags went to the treasury. Now a packet of fags is about £5 and now about two-thirds of that goes to the treasury.
The same with booze. Duty on a bottle of wine is the same regardless of whether you spend £3 on plonk (£1.20 goes to the treasury) or £300 (£1.20 goes to the treasury). Madness really, but of course it's all designed to make sure that the poor pay more than the rich. Doesn't matter who is in power the balance of fairness is never going to be ... fair.
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