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"[i]Councils are investing millions of pounds in some of the world’s largest tobacco companies at the same time as funding for services to help people stop smoking is being slashed, an investigation by The Independent has revealed.
Investments in cigarette giants including Phillip Morris and Imperial Tobacco by local authorities in England have increased by hundreds of millions of pounds over the past five years.
At the same time, councils have nearly halved the money available to help smokers to beat their addiction.[/i]"
I know councils are financial desperate due to government funding cuts, but I don't think this investment is ethically acceptable, esp as many tobacco products are pushed to the uneducated 3rd world youth.
"[i]One council, the [b]Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead[/b], saw investments in tobacco firms through its independently managed pension fund climb from [b]£5m[/b] in 2012-13 [b]to £27m in the last financial year[/b].[/i]"
Bit odd considering the amount of cigarette butts that get thrown on the ground, ending up in drains and generally making an unsightly mess.