The single man

By THIS IS MONEY
Updated:

 

THE matter of duty on cigarettes is something of a double-edged sword for John Williams. He describes himself as a social smoker, so is not hit too hard by the 6p rise in duty on a packet of 20. But his job depends on the high cost of cigarettes.

As a customs officer at the port of Southampton, the 34-year-old spends most of his time searching container ships, looking to halt the traffic of smuggled cigarettes into the country. John has been working in customs for 15 years and he's not ready to stop yet.

Ahead of the Budget, John said: 'If Gordon Brown does keep duty on cigarettes up, people are more likely to keep smuggling. If they weren't so expensive I might find myself out of a job'.

John earns around £23,000 a year and his main hope was that this income wouldn't be eaten away by tax increases. However, he did concede public services needed investment: 'Everybody wants to see improvements in public services, but until you see the results you're not so willing. That said, I suppose changes can't come without tax increases.'

So it looks like John will not be too put out by the 1% rise in National Insurance.

John is a keen cyclist and makes the 45-minute journey to work every day on two wheels, despite the traffic fumes. He hoped the Chancellor would discourage more people from driving by making petrol more expensive.

While this did not come to pass, there were a number of measures in the Budget designed to encourage investment in green enterprise that might satisfy John, who is better off by around £20 a year as a result of the Budget.

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