Retailers call for Rethink on Tobacco Excise

Retailers call for Rethink on Tobacco Excise [Association of Community Retailers]

The Association of Community Retailers is calling on the Government to cancel two further tax excise rises in tobacco products given the spate of violent, armed robberies of dairies and convenience stores in recent weeks.

More than 20 armed robberies have been reported in the last six weeks since the Government increased the tax on tobacco products. “Criminals are foremost targeting cash and tobacco products as a result, and it is only a matter of time before a retailer is seriously hurt, or worse – killed,” says Palmerston North tobacconist Richard Green, a tobacco spokesperson for the ACR.

“Since the late April tax excise was increased on tobacco products there have been more than two robberies a week, with some retailers lucky to survive them unhurt,” said Mr Green, whose business has also been broken into since the tax hike, with criminals getting away with more than $9,000 worth of tobacco products.

“The Maori Party thinks it is doing something good, but it’s not. From sales at my shops in the last six weeks, there was a slight reduction but that appears now to have built back up again. Yet I’ve been broken into and there have been more than 20 armed robberies of dairies and small convenience stores around the country,” he said.

The Maori Party with an anti-tobacco agenda is making these decisions without thinking through the full consequences. Tobacco is now a valuable commodity for criminals and it is top on the list of items for criminals, Mr Green said. “Sooner or later, some retailer is going to be killed, and the risks are going to get worse in January when the next tax hike is implemented.”

The ACR is calling on the Government to scrap the next two tax increases. Despite claims by anti-tobacco groups, Treasury also argued against the tax hike, saying they were “not highly effective” in encouraging quitting and achieving a drop in smoking prevalence.

“We’re putting retailers further at risk of violent crime for what, taking extra money off smokers and not achieving any drop in the number of people smoking. Quitline has been busy apparently, but sales in my shop are back to what they were before the tax hike,” Mr Green said.

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