Putting my Pipes Away

[Lyle b]

Gday fellow pipers , sad day today , I hav decided to put my pipes away . Went to buy a pouch of erinmore mix today but to my surprise , not really , thanks to the Australian Gumbyment and the continued rise in tobacco taxes here , i could not afford the $155.00 askin price . In what was once known as , the lucky country , I don't feel so lucky anymore . So it is with great sadness I say goodbye to this most treasured pastime , may all those that can still afford to , pack light , take slow and enjoy

 

[VDL_Piper]

PM incoming mate

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

PM incoming mate

Good man.

Paging @Ahi Ka and @OzPiper @DeerparkDays and @mortonbriar (yes, I realize some of you are in New Zealand).

Care to help a brother out with ideas?

 

[bullet08]

Does the government truly gain by forcing people to quit smoking? It's beyond my understanding why anyone would force another to give up such a simple pleasure. I understand the health risk. But it seems like this is more than an innocent service to the public. Force quitting smoke now. What would be the next? No alcoholic beverages. No coffee. No tea. No education.. Turn back the time to the dark ages where the lords (G men) will dictate when someone can take piss?

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

Does the government truly gain by forcing people to quit smoking? It's beyond my understanding why anyone would force another to give up such a simple pleasure. I understand the health risk. But it seems like this is more than an innocent service to the public. Force quitting smoke now. What would be the next? No alcoholic beverages. No coffee. No tea. No education.. Turn back the time to the dark ages where the lords (G men) will dictate when someone can take piss?

Every read 1984 or Brave New World?

Sometimes they "hit", others not so much. Depends on what I'm going through (and the current state of affairs), I suppose. But I endorse both and believe your questions will be answered.

 

[OzPiper]

Good man.

Paging @Ahi Ka and @OzPiper @DeerparkDays and @mortonbriar (yes, I realize some of you are in New Zealand).

Care to help a brother out with ideas?

Hi @Lyle b

A mate of mine has been buying from 4noggins
He has been careful to order 1 tin/pouch at a time and has been lucky so far. Only one order has been confiscated.
He changed his postal address immediately after that, and it has worked out so far

Now I’m not advocating that we should flout the law, BUT ………

If however you want to do things legally, you can apply for a “Australian Border Force/Customs Permit to import tobacco for personal use”. This can be done online, and is free.

Armed with this, you can bring in tobacco legally from O/S.
Duty is payable at AUD$1+ per gram (the duty has just been raised recently).
So @AUD$55 for a 50Gm/2oz tin/pouch + the price of the tin/pouch.
Not cheap, but a considerable saving on the asking retail price in Oz

Hope this helps
GOOD LUCK

PS A lot of companies eg SmokingPipes and a lot of countries don’t allow sale of tobacco O/S

 

[Lyle b]

Hi @Lyle b

A mate of mine has been buying from 4noggins
He has been careful to buy only 1 tin/pouch at a time and has been lucky so far. Only one order has been confiscated.
He changed his postal address immediately after that, and it has worked out so far

Now I’m not advocating that we should flout the law, BUT ………

If however you want to do things legally, you can apply for a “Permit to import tobacco for personal use”. This can be done online, and is free.
Armed with this, you can then bring in tobacco from O/S.
Duty is payable at AUD$1+ (the duty has just been raised recently).
So 2AUD$55 for a 50Gm/2oz tin/pouch + the price of the tin/pouch.
Not cheap, but a considerable saving on the asking retail price in Oz

Hope that helps

Hey gday Oz piper, thanks , yea haven't tried for 12 months or so due to previous losses but yea might try again and will hav a look into permit , I didn't realise there was such a thing , thanks again, will let ya know hav I go cheers

 

[UB 40]

What about homegrown?

 

[VDL_Piper]

What about homegrown?

Not an option as sleeping in a cell with a guy called Bubba usually isn’t agreeable

 

[UB 40]

Not an option as sleeping in a cell with a guy called Bubba usually isn’t agreeable

???

 

[VDL_Piper]

???

In Australia you would be put straight in prison if caught growing tobacco

 

[UB 40]

In Australia you would be put straight in prison if caught growing tobacco

Oh really? Didn’t know that. Law over there is that restrictive according to tobacco? I assumed Australia still belonged to one of the free countries, but it doesn’t sound like this, looks more as a kind of “health fascism”to me. Sad to hear that. I fear there are more states following the approach in the upcoming years.

 

[JOHN72]

I am sorry to read this. Europe is going the same way. Cheer up Australian friend.

 

[PaulRVA]

In Australia you would be put straight in prison if caught growing tobacco

WTF ?

 

[Ryan]

There are many things in the world which are a detriment to health, from prescription drugs, alcohol, certain occupations, foods, etc. Of all these things, it seems arbitrary to single out tobacco. What a silly world.

 

[pappymac]

Does the government truly gain by forcing people to quit smoking? It's beyond my understanding why anyone would force another to give up such a simple pleasure. I understand the health risk. But it seems like this is more than an innocent service to the public. Force quitting smoke now. What would be the next? No alcoholic beverages. No coffee. No tea. No education.. Turn back the time to the dark ages where the lords (G men) will dictate when someone can take piss?

It's all about getting votes and staying in power.

 

[PA Piper Mike]

And here, I sometimes grumble about the $2-3 rise in tobacco over the past 1-2 years. This stuff puts things into perspective. Sometimes you really don't understand how things are until you get hit with a reality check from other parts of the world. I have to keep reminding myself to let Aus and NZ be a lesson for us here in the States. You guys are getting bent over a barrel and screw with ZERO lube. Tobacco AND firearms??? Look out, because it sounds like alcohol could be next on the chopping block. But take solace knowing that all your politicians (just like ours) know what's best for everyone.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

Well that's unfortunate. Sorry to hear you're having to put your pipes down. Hopefully it's just a temporary break, and not permanent.

 

[sablebrush52]

Does the government truly gain by forcing people to quit smoking? It's beyond my understanding why anyone would force another to give up such a simple pleasure.

The costs to the economy are far greater than any tax benefit. These costs factor in illness, lost productivity, and medical costs. In the US it runs into the tens of billions. Of course, those figures are more than a decade old, so may be approaching the 100 billion mark.

 

[geoffs]

This is frightening. We are all headed this way if we don't stand up for our freedoms, and tobacco is the least of our worries.