China’s ultimatum: smoke or be fined | Weird True Freaky | News.com.au
OFFICIALS in a county in central China have been told to smoke nearly a quarter million packs of locally made cigarettes annually or risk being fined, state media reports.
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“The regulation will boost the local economy via the cigarette tax,” said Chen Nianzu, a member of the Gong’an cigarette market supervision team, according to the paper.
Stimulating local business, increasing tax revenues. Additionally, early deaths mean fewer on retirement. Sounds like the perfect amoral economists’ scheme.
Wait … the government is telling officials they have to smoke a bunch, yet they’re trying to get doctors to quit to set a good example? Someone in China has been smoking a bit too much already … and not just cigarettes.