Is there anything beer and cigarettes can't do?

[grimey]

Scratch single-handedly running a country's (hopelessly fucked) economy off the list:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/03 ... index.html

HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe's new finance minister Wednesday complained that President Robert Mugabe's government is running on taxes and duties paid on beer and cigarettes.

Biti said spending will outstrip Zimbabwe's income by almost $1 billion.

As he presented his revised 2009 budget to parliament, Finance Minister Tendai Biti noted that "indirect taxes made up of customs and excise duty have contributed 88 percent of government revenue, which means that the government has been literally sustained by beer and cigarettes."

"This is unacceptable," the minister added.

[iflyforpie]

I don't know. I kind of admire the way Mugabe handles the Zimbabwean economy. I'm sure Zimbabwe boasts more 'billionaires' per-capita than anywhere else in the world.

[Epsilon]

Things are about the same here. The whole province of Quebec basically runs on cigarette and alcool taxes as well as gaming revenue. (700 millions $ for cigarette taxes, 500 millions $ for alcool taxes and 1,4 billion $ for gaming revenue.)

[niss]

Things are about the same here. The whole province of Quebec basically runs on cigarette and alcool taxes as well as gaming revenue.

Tabernac! Does dat mean dey will bump me into an aiyerr tax brack-et?