A good deed indeed

[Luca]

I was out celebrating my girlfriends work promotion on Monday in Sydney. We went to a nice seafood restaurant in Darling Harbor (see pic). The night was going well. The drinks were flowing, the atmosphere was great. So we decided to check out a cigar bar in Darling Harbour that we haven't been to.

Walked in, grabbed some cocktails. I noticed a couple of younger guys looking at the humidor in the bar. It was a decent cabinet. (Not a very full humidor though. The usual bar selection was there RyJ, MCs, Bolivars, Cohibas and Partagas etc). Unfortunately for these guys (and also because of our crazy tobacco taxes in Aus) a cigar tonight was not possible. Seeing them so excited looking at the humidor...I really felt bummed for them.

I then sat and enjoyed my BRC and Carly (my girlfriend) was enjoying a HUHC. It then came to me. I remembered a post @El Presidente put up not too long ago. It was a story about Rob gifting a cigar to his coffee cart guy (who was going through a rough time). I checked my travel case and I had one cigar left. A nice little PL Panatelas. I absolutely love these little cheap and cheerfuls. Great with my morning coffee. I thought to myself...why not. I'll give this to these nice gentleman here. 

I walked on over and for lack of a better word they were ecstatic! We struck up a great conversation for a good hour. Found out one of the guys is a Chef at the seafood restaurant we just went to and that we should let him know if we were there and he would take care of us! 

Its like what Rob has said...this is what cigars are all about fraternity, friendship, laughter and loyalty...and sticking it up to the Government!

 

[zeedubbya]

I really enjoyed your post Luca, but there's a strange sadness to it as well. It illustrates to me just how expensive cigars are in Oz. I suppose I never really considered it until now while reading your post. I just saw the 4x prices and didn't consider its real world effect. What a nice story of making some friends with a good deed, but what a terrible tragedy it is that all of you couldn't have just purchased multiple cigars for each other through the evening due to such outrageously high taxes. Thanks for sharing.


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[Colt45]

Well done 

[Luca]

I really enjoyed your post Luca, but there's a strange sadness to it as well. It illustrates to me just how expensive cigars are in Oz. I suppose I never really considered it until now while reading your post. I just saw the 4x prices and didn't consider its real world effect. What a nice story of making some friends with a good deed, but what a terrible tragedy it is that all of you couldn't have just purchased multiple cigars for each other through the evening due to such outrageously high taxes. Thanks for sharing.


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Thanks@zeedubbya and yes it is sad in a way. Our taxes in Oz are increasing by about 15% - 20% each year (incl GST). B & M Cigar shops are nearly non existant here in Sydney and I am worried they will be extinct soon. You're right...well I mean in a normal world we all should of been able to shout each other cigars that night. Not here though unfortunately. Let this be a lesson to the world. Don't let what is happening here repeat itself in other countries!

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[dicko]

Good on you mate

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[alloy]

Not only cigars, but I read on yahoo that the last car manufacturer's were shutting down due to the taxes and that it was a lot less costly to import. What a shame that such a great country is imploding.

[PigFish]

2 hours ago, Luca said:

Let this be a lesson to the world. Don't let what is happening here repeat itself in other countries!

I might just add this to my sigtag line...

I enjoyed reading this thread... My usual fashion would be to insert a political statement here. I will simply repeat the words of the OP.

Let this be a lesson... Don't let what is happening here repeat itself... (The primary reason for my politics on this forum...)

Wonderful story. Great lesson!!!

-Piggy

[OZCUBAN]

Well done Luca 

good on ya mate ?have done the same on the odd occasion  

But the more disturbing fact is like you said the out of control Tax rates here ,before to long a good Cigar will out of reach for most,but it’s what the government want and it’s what they will eventually achieve.

lobbying the govt won’t help no One wants to listen voting them out won’t achieve anything either ,because there all the same 

So  for our American brothers count  your blessings you are indeed lucky ? at this point of the game ??

[Customsfan]

Pretty touching.  Now a days with all this P.C. and etc...  Takes a bit courage and selflessness,    Good show.

[Squarehead]

Great story,well done

[JohnS]

Good on you @Luca! And congratulations to Carly for her hard work in her studies paying off with that promotion! thanks for sharing this great story mate!

[luv2fly]

Nicely done Luca!  That’s what it is all about!

 

[cigaraholic]

I’m always happy to give a cigar to someone....of course it’s easier living in the land of embargo. We get CC’s cheaper than anywhere except Cuba. In Canada I’d have a $100 a day habit easy!

[Buck14]

Very nice gesture!

With the exorbitant taxes, I certainly wouldn’t be able to buy any boxes if I lived in Oz and probably would only smoke 1-2 a month.

[Luca]

2 hours ago, JohnS said:

Good on you @Luca! And congratulations to Carly for her hard work in her studies paying off with that promotion! thanks for sharing this great story mate!

Thanks heaps @JohnS Carly says thank you as well  

[Luca]

5 hours ago, OZCUBAN said:

Well done Luca 

good on ya mate ?have done the same on the odd occasion  

But the more disturbing fact is like you said the out of control Tax rates here ,before to long a good Cigar will out of reach for most,but it’s what the government want and it’s what they will eventually achieve.

lobbying the govt won’t help no One wants to listen voting them out won’t achieve anything either ,because there all the same 

So  for our American brothers count  your blessings you are indeed lucky ? at this point of the game ??

Good to hear that you have done the same! Honestly if we don't keep this alive in Aus the next generation of youngins won't even know what a Cigar is let alone what it is like to smoke one!

In the event of the apocalypse (when the Aus Govt bans tobacco).... I have been contemplating buying some land out in the country...to then start growing tobacco... My girlfriend says I'm crazy. I tell her no! The Government is crazy man! *lights cigar whilst wearing a smoking cap*

[oakalley]

Great story, and good of you to share one with the guys.
There is a moral to this story, in fact a couple. One, you never know when your good deed will be repaid, but it will. That chef will remember you and the next time, I guarantee you will get a fantastic meal! The second one is the proponents of your "Nannie" state are at work everywhere. Those who want to control every aspect of our lives are ever planning their next move. We are fortunate here in the USA, but we must be vigilant and prepared to resist at every turn. The soda and fast food industries probably cause far more health problems than the cigar industry ever will. The difference, they spend millions of dollars on lobbyists and political contributions to insure those industries are not regulated. Unfortunately, the cigar manufacturers/distributors/sellers have infinitesimally smaller resources, so we are always at risk.


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[gweilgi]

26 minutes ago, Luca said:

Good to hear that you have done the same! Honestly if we don't keep this alive in Aus the next generation of youngins won't even know what a Cigar is let alone what it is like to smoke one!

Good on yer, mate!

The crazy thing about this is that except for a few diehard tobacco nazis, most people have no objection to cigars in their airspace.  When I get chatting to fellow patrons at any venue, the most common response is approval.  They *like* the scent of a good cigar.  

Not that this will help us with the gummint ... they want their billions to keep flowing.  

 

26 minutes ago, Luca said:

In the event of the apocalypse (when the Aus Govt bans tobacco).... I have been contemplating buying some land out in the country...to then start growing tobacco... My girlfriend says I'm crazy. I tell her no! The Government is crazy man! *lights cigar whilst wearing a smoking cap*

Growing the leaf is one thing ... what about rolling the cigars?  Cuban virgins' thighs are in short supply hereabouts.... 

Either way, I'd be happy to invest in your little scheme -- just pay my dividends in kind.

[Luca]

44 minutes ago, gweilgi said:

Good on yer, mate!

The crazy thing about this is that except for a few diehard tobacco nazis, most people have no objection to cigars in their airspace.  When I get chatting to fellow patrons at any venue, the most common response is approval.  They *like* the scent of a good cigar.  

Not that this will help us with the gummint ... they want their billions to keep flowing.  

 

Growing the leaf is one thing ... what about rolling the cigars?  Cuban virgins' thighs are in short supply hereabouts.... 

Either way, I'd be happy to invest in your little scheme -- just pay my dividends in kind.

Exactly. I get a lot of compliments from people when I am out smoking. They all seem to like the smell of cigar smoke.

Yep taxing tobacco is a very easy tax to administer from a Government point of view. Easy money.

Haha I am sure that I will get the hang of rolling tobacco after many many many years of practice. I will be honored to have you as my first  investor!

[Luca]

1 hour ago, oakalley said:

Great story, and good of you to share one with the guys.
There is a moral to this story, in fact a couple. One, you never know when your good deed will be repaid, but it will. That chef will remember you and the next time, I guarantee you will get a fantastic meal! The second one is the proponents of your "Nannie" state are at work everywhere. Those who want to control every aspect of our lives are ever planning their next move. We are fortunate here in the USA, but we must be vigilant and prepared to resist at every turn. The soda and fast food industries probably cause far more health problems than the cigar industry ever will. The difference, they spend millions of dollars on lobbyists and political contributions to insure those industries are not regulated. Unfortunately, the cigar manufacturers/distributors/sellers have infinitesimally smaller resources, so we are always at risk.


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You hit the nail on the head there (Re: Soda and food industries causing more damage than tobacco), you're exactly right. But people don't understand!

[gweilgi]

Interesting article with facts and figures on this issue:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-23/ato-illegal-tobacco-crop-worth-over-$11-million-found-at-cooma/8380898

[Luca]

35 minutes ago, gweilgi said:

Interesting article with facts and figures on this issue:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-23/ato-illegal-tobacco-crop-worth-over-$11-million-found-at-cooma/8380898

Thank you for sharing the article @gweilgi It just goes to show. Once you regulate/restrict something you inevitably will create a black market for it...

[maxcjs0101]

Great gesture there!

[gweilgi]

8 minutes ago, Luca said:

Thank you for sharing the article @gweilgi It just goes to show. Once you regulate/restrict something you inevitably will create a black market for it...

True.

What the Powers That BE tend to forget is that there is a tipping point.  Up to a certain level, most folk are reasonably law-abiding and will submit to the rules and regulations even when they are not happy with them.  But there is a point beyond which their behaviour will "flip": when they refuse to accept the rationalisations and arguments anymore and perceive such burdens to be not just onerous but downright unjust.  In the case of tobacco, it seems to me, that point has been reached.  This goose has been milked too much, and people are making the decision not to submit anymore.  This, alas, presents our gummint types with a problem: they cannot tolerate such widespread disregard for their authority, nor can they afford to be seen to be climbing down from their previous position/policy.  Common sense and moderation are FAR less important to them than saving face and "being right".  So they double down and crack down.  I strongly suspect that for this reason, once their revenue stream from tobacco has diminished to a certain level, they will ban it altogether rather than admit they over-egged their pudding...

[Rustyman]

Well done Luca!  Congrats to Carly as well on her promotion.

I do wonder as per @gweilgi post above as to whether we have reached the tipping point.  I work in an area where I see lots of cigarette smokers daily and I can guarantee you that the vast majority of them no longer pay government sanctioned prices nor could they afford to.