| Author (Person) | Snowdon, Christopher |
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| Publisher | Institute of Economic Affairs |
| Publication Date | 2017 |
| Content Type | Report, Statistics |
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This is the second edition of the Nanny State Index, a league table of the worst places in the European Union to eat, drink, smoke and vape. The Nanny State Index is an initiative from the European Policy Information Center (EPICENTER). Despite efforts by the EU to harmonise some legislation, the Nanny State Index reveals huge differences in the way governments choose to regulate their citizens’ lifestyles. The most heavy-handed countries – Finland, the UK and Ireland – all have very high taxes on alcohol and tobacco, as well as severe smoking bans, but Finland has an almost impregnable lead at the top of the table thanks to its negative approach to e-cigarettes, its tax on soft drinks and its harsh temperance laws which include a near-total ban on alcohol advertising and a state-controlled alcohol monopoly. At the other end of the table, countries such as the Czech Republic and Germany have modest taxes on alcohol and tobacco, do not try to control their citizens’ diets, and treat vapers and smokers with respect. If you want to use the Nanny State Index as a travel guide, there are separate league tables for food, alcohol, tobacco and vaping below, so you can pick your holiday according to your preferences. Paternalistic lifestyle policies create a number of problems and costs. ‘Sin taxes’ fall most heavily on the poor. High prices fuel the black market. Advertising bans restrict competition and stifle innovation. Smoking bans damage pubs and clubs. Excessive regulation creates excessive bureaucracy and drains police resources. Insofar as ‘public health’ campaigners acknowledge these costs, they argue that they are more than offset by the benefit to health, but the data in this Index finds little evidence of this. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://nannystateindex.org/index-2017/ |
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| Subject Categories | Health |
| Countries / Regions | Europe, Finland |
