Excise tax takes most from Maori
The Taxpayers Union points out:
The Government annually takes $120 million more from Māori via tobacco excise than it gives in Treaty Settlements and Māori Development funding.
The excise tax has proven effective in encouraging Europeans and Asians to not smoke, but less so for Maori and Pacific Islanders.
The drop in smoking prevalance between 2007 and 2017 for each group was:
- Asians 27%
- Europeans 24%
- Maori 16%
- Pasifika 10%
You still have 35% of Maori as current smokers and 32% as daily smokers.