Well Karmen, it will have an effect here.

Our tax on tobacco varies with brands but lies between 76% and 83% of the retail price raising 10.5 billion GBP for the chancellor and the recent budget has put another chunk on that again. Petrol of course already has 80%+ tax on it and diesel even more.

With the country-wide smoking ban coming into force 1st July it will certainly reduce consumption and I think the C of Exc is hedging his bets to initially recoup the calculated revenue loss. The loss will not only be recovered by tobacco tax but elsewhere so the soft targets are again taxed, alcohol, petrol and a huge hike in annual road tax on large 4x4s (AKA private school busses).

The anti-smokers better not crow too loudly as they are going to be hit for the shortfall and the tip of the iceberg is showing. We are being massaged into thinking about road pricing via a GPS in the car at the owners expense and will include EVERY vehicle road licensed, therefore your collection of old cars, and army trucks for that matter. I predict this and other measures are in hand to cover the non-smoking losses.

The July 1 inception date throws up a few problems, that is all the beer tents and any marquee, at say, Beltring will have to be enforced as non-smoking; I already know this will be in effect at The Great Dorset Steam Fair http://www.gdsf.co.uk/ a 600 acre venue that makes Beltring look like a village fete and has hundreds of coal-fired (read smoke) steam engines together with probably 10 beer tents.

I have just missed it for this year's Overlord (cancelled according to the MVT but that's just this year's stooping to lower levels) but for 2008 I think it will have to be non-smoking in the beer tent during the public hours but I think I can skirt round it for the evening entertainments when the site is private being outside public hours.

I also have a problem that my limited company is registered here and I'm an employee, therefore I am obliged to place the regulation no smoking signs at the front and back doors, and stop myself smoking in my own house. I think I shall put Veare on the payroll as site safety officer to enforce this although her job description will require her to sleep, as currently, between 09:00 and 17:00.

No wonder then that Mrs. Notton and I have recovered our pensions from the mean, parsimonious, marble fronted institutions and placed a spread of investments, with pro advice, under our direct control for four times the returns with a fixed plan to be out of here in three years time and re-located at the far end of the Med with council tax at 1/40th, income tax at 5%, petrol half price, baccy at 1/4 price and 300 days of sunshine a year.

Have to go, the site safety officer is giving me stick about morning food break which I have to provide.

R.