The stark facts are that smokers are likely to die earlier; therefore one insurer reckons that they can offer them better payouts than non-smokers. To qualify for these better rates, you need to be aged 50 plus and you need to fit the exacting requirement of having smoked at the very least, ten cigarettes a day for ten years or more. Comply with this and you'll be rewarded by a guaranteed income in retirement which will be substantially higher than the poor old non-smokers. The difference will amount to thousands of pounds.
There is evidence that the population of the UK as a whole are living longer, however the rate at which this is happening is much lower for people who smoke. The insurer will need proof of your smoking history though. It's no use claiming that you're a smoker in order to increase your income in retirement. You'll need to go along to see a nurse and take a urine test, which should provide confirmation of your smoking habit. If this is not conclusive, then you could be asked to provide a saliva sample. Fail the test and you'll be refused this exclusive cover.
Smokers will be asked to pay a one-off payment to the insurer and in return they will receive a regular retirement income. This will be just under a third higher than the pension which would be made to a non-smoker on the basis that their lives will be shorter; therefore the fund will not need to last as long.
A spokesman for the company said: "It's an inescapable fact that the vast majority of smokers won't live as long as people who don't smoke." "Although as a population we are experiencing increased longevity, the rate of improvement for smokers is a lot lower than for non-smokers."
"Smokers who take a standard annuity are being hit with a double whammy, which doesn't seem very fair to us. With our products, smokers will get a higher income, guaranteed for life." Smoking 85 grams of rolling tobacco per week over the 10 year period also qualify for the policy, but pipe and cigar smokers are excluded.
A spokesman for FOREST (the Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco) said this was welcome news for smokers, because they're more used to being targeted in a negative way. He thought that there would be a high interest due to the fact that it is acknowledged that there are health risks in smoking and many smokers have shortened lives.
The anti-smoking brigades were worried that smokers might take the policy as encouraging them to continue with their habit, which is potentially fatal. ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) issued the warning that people should be mindful of the fact that the higher payments are based solely on the fact that they will die sooner than they should have. The message seems to be that if you want a long and active retirement, with time to enjoy the company of family and friends, stop smoking NOW.
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