# FILE NAME: 00001921.soc
# TITLE: Should we increase the amount of taxes on tobacco and alcohol? [fecbde461d0874c1367deb3454271833]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 4
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - In general, the group was in favour of increasing taxes on tobacco and alcohol. The group felt that the increased taxes would reduce the consumption of these products and therefore reduce the number of health problems associated with their use. The group felt that the increased taxes would also increase government revenue. The group was aware that the increased taxes would be detrimental to those who currently use these products, but felt that this was outweighed by the health benefits of reducing their use. The group felt that to try to protect current users would ultimately damage the health of the nation as a whole, and felt that our duty of care was to the public as a whole, not just the small proportion of the population who currently use these products.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - We generally agree with increasing taxes on tobacco and alcohol, as this would reduce the consumption of these products and therefore reduce the number of health problems associated with their use. We are aware that the increased taxes would be detrimental to those who currently use these products, but feel that this is outweighed by the health benefits of reducing their use. We think that it would also be an acceptable way to increase government revenue.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - In general, the group was in favour of increasing taxes on tobacco and alcohol. The group felt that the increased taxes would reduce the consumption of these products and therefore reduce the number of health problems associated with their use. The group felt that the increased taxes would also increase government revenue. The group was aware that the increased taxes would be detrimental to those who currently use these products, but felt that this was outweighed by the health benefits of reducing their use. The group felt that it would be important to educate people on the health effects of smoking and alcohol, and to provide alternative options to help people reduce their consumption of these products. The group also felt that the increased taxes would need to be balanced against the possibility of increasing the illicit trade of tobacco and alcohol.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - We generally agree with increasing taxes on tobacco and alcohol, as this would reduce the consumption of these products and therefore the number of health problems caused by them. We agree with this, even though the increased taxes would likely be detrimental to those who currently use these products, because the health benefits of reducing their consumption outweigh this, and also because the increased tax will raise more state revenue. Conclusion What people seem to disagree about is usually the meaning of words and expressions. In discussions about health policy, it is not unusual to find people in opposing camps who actually agree with each other about policy decisions, but are merely using different words and expressions to refer to these decisions. To complicate matters, words and expressions can have different meanings for different people. Our group method helps to discover these different meanings. More specifically, our method helps to clarify meanings of words and expressions, and reach agreement about their common meaning. Such a clarification of meanings typically results in people finding out that they do agree with each other more than they previously believed. Clarifying meanings, as well as finding out that they do not necessarily disagree as much as they believed, is usually seen by the participants as helpful in moving a discussion forwards. And, of course, improving on
2: 1,3,2,4
1: 2,3,1,4
1: 3,1,4,2
1: 2,1,3,4