the true cost of cigs has to include hospital time imo ;(

Seeing as my mum spent the last few months of her life in a hospital due(in large part) to smoking, I would agree. Not just financial cost, but the emotional burden is very high on family and friends as well.

Is there a VATS or other added on tax?

that is actually about half of the price in the UK i think (im a roll up smoker tho). thats our own taxes of course (though some would have it otherwise).

interesting to see my friend in moscow (on another channel) equated ~£5 to a pack of cigs, but only ~£1 to a well known bar of premium chocolate.


Edit: and this was my point to Stinging Velvet earlier. Buying power is not unilateral.

On high prices, an all prior discussion aside: I can understand having qualms with higher prices and people criticizing such civilly in general.

That said, if I was a game maker** and people responded to the pricing in the same manner as OP, i'd likely raise the price just for such people with each new over the top complaint.....and perhaps lower the price a bit for all the other nice polite people.

(**=and doing so were legal)

Unlike video games, cigarettes have an extra tax that stacks on top of them. There's no reason for games to be so expensive.

Yes it is called G.S.T. Goods AND services tax!