▶ Your Answer :
The reading passage contends that increasing
the tax on tobaccos has several advantages. On the other hand, the lecturer brings
up several points that contradict this argument,
First,
the lecturer claims that raising the tax on tobacco products cannot be make
young people not to smoke. Young people buy cigarettes via black market dealers
who smuggle tobaccos and sell them to the teenagers. And because of the
increased tax, the number of smuggling the products will be higher, which make
it easier for teenagers to buy them from the smugglers. This counters the
reading passage’s claim that the higher prices will result in the decline of
smoking rate of teenagers because they cannot afford it.
Next,
the lecturer argues that the increased tax rate of the tobaccos cannot benefit
the environment. As few people buy cigarettes due to the higher prices, the
government will have less tax revenue. Then it cannot make many efforts like
plating trees to revive the environment because of the decreased finance. This casts
doubt to the reading passage’s claim that the environment can be repaired by increasing
tax, planting trees and removing harmful chemicals.
Final,
the lecturer points out that the increased tax can make a lot of jobs to
disappear. This is because the tobacco industries create many jobs in agriculture,
manufacture and retail industry. So, raising prices of cigarettes will cause more
poverty. This refutes the reading passage’s claim that the higher tax will be
used to help poor people through social welfare programs.
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