Ash: People 'will flock to smoke-free pubs'

The anti-smoking group Ash Ireland has welcomed to New York pub figures which say taxes paid by publicans in New York have increased by 12% since the introduction of a smoking ban in the city's pubs.

The group claim the Government’s proposed smoking ban would also boost business in Irish pubs.

The increased tax receipts would appear to suggest that business in New York’s pubs has increased since the ban was introduced last year.

Spokesman Dr Fenton Howell said: "Once you bring in smoke-free places, people will flock to them. It’s evident everywhere that we see it.

"This is good for business and it’s very difficult to understand why there’s such opposition to it."

However, Irish publicans claimed the New York figures were flawed as the tax rate itself had increased by 5% in 2003.