TASMANIAN cigarette sellers have warned MLCs that a generational ban on smoking will decimate their businesses and prove crippling to police. Small retailers fronted the Legislative Council yesterday to urge against outlawing tobacco sales to everyone born this century. The world-first ban has been proposed by Windermere independent MLC Ivan Dean and will be debated in the upper house next week. Tobacconist Ted Slater said the ban would have an immediate and catastrophic impact. "We're getting a bit sick of getting belted around the ears with all this regulation and red tape," Mr Slater said. "When it comes to putting these things in place you know the onus is on us. We're the ones footing the bill, we're fined the fines. "Every regulation that comes in just makes it a little bit harder for us to try and get a return on our investment." MLCs were told the ban would also be increasingly cumbersome to police as the affected cohort aged. Murchison independent MLC Ruth Forrest pointed retailers to the protracted time frame for grandfathering out tobacco availability. "Doesn't it give you the time to adjust your business models to move away from a dependence on cigarette sales?" Ms Forrest asked. But retailers said they had already pursued various avenues to diversify their offerings with limited success, arguing the legislation would significantly hamper their ability to onsell their businesses. Under the proposed laws, it would still be illegal to supply underage people tobacco. However, it would be legal for someone to buy and supply a person in the "smoke-free generation" cohort cigarettes, granted sellers were unaware of where the tobacco would end up. Retailers said the loophole further muddied an already unworkable ban. Imperial Tobacco spokesman Andrew Gregson said the blackmarket stood ready to pounce on the laws. "The criminal groups that run [the illicit tobacco trade] will find themselves at a serious advantage in no longer having to compete against legitimate local retailers," Mr Gregson said.
TASMANIAN cigarette sellers have warned MLCs that a generational ban on smoking will decimate their businesses and prove crippling to police.
Small retailers fronted the Legislative Council yesterday to urge against outlawing tobacco sales to everyone born this century.
The world-first ban has been proposed by Windermere independent MLC Ivan Dean and will be debated in the upper house next week.
Tobacconist Ted Slater said the ban would have an immediate and catastrophic impact.
"We're getting a bit sick of getting belted around the ears with all this regulation and red tape," Mr Slater said.
"When it comes to putting these things in place you know the onus is on us. We're the ones footing the bill, we're fined the fines.
"Every regulation that comes in just makes it a little bit harder for us to try and get a return on our investment."
MLCs were told the ban would also be increasingly cumbersome to police as the affected cohort aged.
Murchison independent MLC Ruth Forrest pointed retailers to the protracted time frame for grandfathering out tobacco availability.
"Doesn't it give you the time to adjust your business models to move away from a dependence on cigarette sales?" Ms Forrest asked.
But retailers said they had already pursued various avenues to diversify their offerings with limited success, arguing the legislation would significantly hamper their ability to onsell their businesses.
Under the proposed laws, it would still be illegal to supply underage people tobacco.
However, it would be legal for someone to buy and supply a person in the "smoke-free generation" cohort cigarettes, granted sellers were unaware of where the tobacco would end up.
Retailers said the loophole further muddied an already unworkable ban.
Imperial Tobacco spokesman Andrew Gregson said the blackmarket stood ready to pounce on the laws. "The criminal groups that run [the illicit tobacco trade] will find themselves at a serious advantage in no longer having to compete against legitimate local retailers," Mr Gregson said.
