Mr M, the figures I have read have always said the opposite, smokers save money by dying early... they might need a year of cancer treatment or a hospital bed for 3 months while they die of empasemia (sic, I know!) but if they are dying at say 65 and if they hadnt smoked they might have lived till 80 that is saving a lot of expense, not just state pension, but health care in their old age as well.

and the level of duty on cigarette's, in the UK at least, is massive, I think it is well over 90% of the price.

And I would love smoking to be banned in pubs and restaurants, mainly for selfish reasons that I dont smoke and I hate how whenever I go to the pub I end up stinking of it.

PLEASE bring it to England as well! I work in a pub over here and I dread to think of what it's doign to me... IT is fantastic when i visit my family in Vancouver Canada and come home and realize *sniff sniff* i smell clean still...