Cuba’s Love/Hate relationship with capitalism: Hate the -ism, love the capital

Cuba’s Castro dictatorship sure hates capitalism, until it costs them money…

Via the UK’s The Telegraph:

Cuba accuses UK of being anti-capitalist over plain packaging plans

Communist state Cuba has complained that Britain is threatening free trade with plans to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes and cigars

Cuba, Ukraine, Indonesia, Honduras and Dominican Republic have all brought legal action against Australia, the first country to ban colourful logos on cigarette

Cuba has accused Britain of being anti-capitalist and threatening free trade with its plans introduce plain packaging on cigarettes and cigars.

The Communist country has complained to the World Trade Organisation over the UK Government plans to ban branding on smoking products to try and encourage people to give up the addictive habit.

This came as Tory MP Priti Patel wrote in the Asian Trader arguing that uncertainty surrounding the regulations and timescale is “causing considerable anxiety to newsagents and independent retailers”.

Cuba said it recognized Britain’s “sovereign right to apply measures aimed at protecting the health of its people while recognising that tobacco is a “harmful but lawful product in international trade”.

But it said plain packaging would lead to an increase in counterfeit cigarettes by preventing manufacturers displaying their products’ distinctive trademarks and would also increase health risks to people smoking black market cigarettes containing unknown substances.

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