Nicotine addicts could save themselves a packet by giving up the evil weed on No Smoking Day
Jump to full article: The Guardian (uk), 2001-03-10
Author: Tony Levene
Intro: But according to leading life insurance brokers, smokers who ignore advice to quit on National No Smoking Day next Wednesday will be forced to pay through the nose for their habits.They claim the extra paid bears no relationship to the additional health risks involved in smoking that all admit - including the tobacco lobby. . .
Forest, the lobbying organisation for smokers, believes non-smokers get a good deal at the expense of those with tobacco habits.
"Recent research by Professor Richard Doll, who discovered the links between lung cancer and cigarettes, shows smoking really affects older age groups while those who start as teenagers and stop at 30 only run a 2% extra risk of cancer - those ending the habit at 50 only face an 8% additional risk. This small gap becomes huge in the hands of the insurers," says Simon Clark at Forest. . .
Giving up can transform smokers' finances. The money comes from taxed income. For someone on a typical £22,000 a year salary, the extra cash effectively adds up to a 10% pay rise. It would pay for a three-star fortnight's holiday for two in Europe or a top of the range television set.
But savings from butting out cigarettes can be even bigger if they are invested.
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