Economics Research Summary Report

10 Pages • Essays / Projects • Year: Pre-2021

Background You are currently volunteering for Cancer Council Australia providing part time administration support for them at a local office. During a well-earned tea break a discussion ensues about the effectiveness of government policies aimed at reducing tobacco smoking. The discussion touches on ways of reducing smoking including a tax on cigarettes, a ban on advertising, plain paper covering for cigarette packs and shocking TV adverts depicting images of smokers with cancer associated with smoking cigarettes. You remember that your lecturer in BSB113 had spoken about cigarette taxes. You say that your lecturer had mentioned that the evidence is that taxes are fairly successful at reducing smoking and that in Australia overall rates of smoking have been declining for a number of years. Someone challenges this position, and notes that if this is the case, why has the government either used and/or is thinking about a adopting a range of other polices to target smokers, in addition to a tax on cigarettes. You answer that different polices affect a change in smoking behaviour in different ways. Some polices are more effective at impacting on smoking cessation rates, whilst other polices have been more effective at preventing the uptake of smoking by previous non-smokers (e.g. children). Assessment Task Your input into the discussion was overheard by the visiting CEO of Cancer Council Queensland. He is impressed by your insights and has asked that you write him a critical overview of the economics of a cigarette tax.

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