Sir, – If, as is often reported, smokers die 15 years early at the average age of 72, then each smoker is actually saving the State, €163,000 in pensions (at €10,868 per annum x 15), in addition to the high cost of longterm healthcare for the “expensive” years from 75 to 85.
Based on these maths, one might expect our indebted HSE to encourage smokers. But then, my maths are probably wrong, because Japan has the highest life expectancy, yet they are the fourth highest smokers. – Yours, etc,