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While my namesake's penchant for taxes is difficult to justify, it seems to me that if you're going to tax something then the something may as well be things which people are addicted to, as demand is inelastic so there will be little quantity response and associated dead wieght loss. Smokes and gambling fall into this camp. The problem from a traditional Labor viewpoint however is that it is mainly blue collar workers who indulge in these vices - so we get another case of Labor's "new class" values conflicting with the "working class" origins. Balmain versus Blacktown! One doesn't need a Howard or a Hanson to create a wedge - Labor has created this one all on its own.
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