Nothing quite gets you out of bed in the morning more than a black coffee and a cigarette. Luckily for Chinese government officials in Hubei Province, the government has ordered them all to “smoke up” to stimulate the economy by increasing tax revenue.
They will be fined if they fail to meet specified targets, or are caught smoking rival brands.
I for one support this move. It is pretty obvious by now that the existing mechanisms to stimulate the economy aren’t working – the Reserve Bank lowers interest rates, the commerical banks don’t pass them on. The government gives everyone a handout, people use it to pay off their credit cards, and so on.
It has got me thinking about ways we can stimulate the local economy back home, without resorting to smoking Chinese cigarettes.
You know, because smoking is bad and all.
And the Chinese brands taste like ass.