Price hike would increase street begging

Proposals by the Federal Government’s preventative health strategy to greatly increase the price of cigarettes would result in a lot more begging on the streets, says Pastor Graham Long from the Wayside Chapel.

Ninety percent of street begging is about cigarettes, he says.

“The poor will often have $20 or $50 disposable income and they nearly all smoke. A packet of cigarettes is the best part of $20 and so people beg for change on the street. Beggars ask for money for food or fares but it is almost always about money for cigarettes.

“I hear talk of dramatic rises in cigarette prices to discourage people from smoking. I confidently predict that one result of such an action will be many more people begging in public places,” said Pastor Long.

by Michael Gormly