So the advice to justify $200m tax break for Big Tobacco was a sick joke?

Just so we are clear, the advice Casey Costello used to justify giving Big Tobacco $200m was bullshit…

Ministry official criticises advice used to justify HTP tax cut

One of the Associate Health Minister’s top officials has slammed the evidence Casey Costello used to justify giving heated tobacco products a tax cut.

In internal emails seen by 1News, Ministry of Health chief advisor of epidemiology, Fiona Callaghan, described the Associate Health Minister’s information as selective, out of date, and some of it “crap”.

In July Costello said the Government would set aside $216 million it may need to pay for a 50% cut to the excise tax on heated tobacco products.

Costello got independent advice that she said showed heated tobacco products will help people quit cigarettes.

The Ministry of Health’s chief adviser epidemiology reviewed the Minister’s independent evidence – five documents in all.

In internal emails, Callaghan told her colleagues that one was OK, and another good but now well out of date.

“It’s not so much that all of the studies are crap…” she also wrote.

“It’s more that it is a small number of selective research, not up to date, and certainly don’t form any sort of robust evidence review and don’t represent current evidence.”

She was critical of one opinion piece presented by the minister.

“The author conflates e-cigarettes with tobacco products like snus and heated tobacco products… with no justification. There is no evidence the snus or heated tobacco products are used of effective for smoking cessation.”

Callaghan pointed out some of the data cited in one study was provided by the tobacco company Philip Morris.

…her ‘evidence is bullshit, the Officials called it bullshit and her response is just unbelievable…

But Costello told 1News the emails show “yet again, officials undermining the Government’s harm-reduction approach to reducing smoking rates”.

“I have spoken to the Director-General about the importance of maintaining public sector standards of integrity and political neutrality,” she said in a statement.

…she’s angry that her lies have been busted and exposed by the Officials.

This is who we are now, this is what we have become.

Ministers pimping for the fucking Tobacco Industry.

Take a long hard look in the mirror Kiwis, this is what you voted for.

 

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