Re: Re: 500 tons of chewing gum

Originally posted by Frank Taylor

What about making the tax about €2 per packet so that sales, particularly to children, drop to nothing? I know I sound like Scrooge advocating removing childrens’ icecreams but the drawbacks of gum must exceed the benefits many times over.

The sugarless gums have actually been proved to be good for oral heigeine. The chewing gum issue on our streets is just a small example of our attitudes to rubbish in general. Just because of its nature we cannot miss it. Say, for example, if Mars Bar wrappers happened to stick to our pavements they would be covered in them. Putting a tax on chewing gum is not going to solve this problem. It is our overall attitude towards rubbish in general that is going to have to improve.