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Thursday, June 28, 2001

Following that logic, we would kill all people on the day of retirement

"In the Czech Republic, we have high consumer tax on tobacco products. So by buying cigarettes, I am basically increasing state revenues. It is also known that heavy smokers die younger, and then it is not necessary to pay them pensions."

Prague Post. Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman jokes about the state benefits of smoking. A report commissioned by Philip Morris found that the Czech government saved 1.19 billion Czech koruny (about 29 million US dollars) in 1999 on housing for the elderly, pension and social expenses, and health-care costs due to smoking-induced deaths. The report also estimates that the lives of the 30 percent of Czech citizens who smoke are reduced by 4.3 years, but a conflicting estimate put it at 10 years.'

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This is the personal weblog of Grant Barrett, editor of the Double-Tongued Dictionary, a collection of words from the fringes of English. More about this site...

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