Posted on 12/12/2004 5:45:15 PM PST by cougar_mccxxi
Evidence Cigarette Tax Hikes Increase Crime, But Don't Reduce Teenage Smoking
Between 1984 and 1993, Canada doubled its tax on cigarettes with the aim of reducing smoking and increasing tax revenues. Last December, Sgt. Alain Giroux testified on the effects of those tax increases before a U.S. Senate subcommittee on behalf of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
* He reported that only did underage smoking fail to decrease, but an estimated 40 percent of Canada's cigarettes are now sold on the black market -- most of which are smuggled over the U.S.-Canadian border.
* The growth in the black market -- due almost entirely to the high cigarette tax -- spawned violence and nurtured organized crime.
* Being able to get cigarettes on the black market, rather than being turned down in legitimate stores, underage youths increased their smoking.
* The massive switch to black market sales frustrated officials' attempts to raise revenues.
Similar evidence of the destructive impact of increased cigarette taxes is also available in the U.S., experts point out.
* After New York, California and Michigan increased cigarette taxes beginning in 1988, each reported a substantial reduction in cigarette sales -- by 31 percent, 28 percent and 30 percent, respectively.
* Yet the evidence suggests that smoking did not decrease in these states -- even going up slightly in Michigan as residents started buying their favorite brands out of state.
* In 1995, one year after Michigan raised its cigarette tax, low-tax states within a one-day drive saw an increase in their cigarette sales -- ranging from 4.5 percent to 12 percent.
* Since California raised its cigarette tax in 1988, black market sales have risen to an estimated 17.2 percent to 23 percent of cigarettes sold.
Analysts conclude it is likely proposed federal cigarette tax increases in the U.S. would have similar effects.
Source: Erin Schiller (Pacific Research Institute), "Smoking Up North," Washington Times, February 11, 1998.
Duh!!
'98?
Ping!!!
Take a look at the huge number of "tobacco crime" stories at this site:
http://www.tobacco.org/articles/category/crime/?show_intro=0&records_per_page=100
With $5.00 and $6.00/pack taxes in New York, Chicago, etc., this was fairly predictable.
Nope, not at all... The WoDdies all said it would work Worked great with everything else....
(/sarcasm)
Good going guys. Enjoy your increased crime rate...
This is a no brainer.
hey SheLion - I know you've had some computer problems of late (I'm in the same boat so I understand) but do you have access to the graphic of how much the government gets from a pack of smokes?
Evidence of a dumbass on the Internet writing titles published on the Internet.
Does someone need their ritalin?
As the teenagers would say,She-----Well,duuuuuuuh!!!
A perfect example of the law of unintended consequences.
Unintended? Some of this crap is looking entirely to deliberate. At this rate, I'm gonna need a tinfoil deflector beanie.
My thoughts exactly.
I hope they do to tobacco what they did to marijuana: tax it out of the market like they did in 1937, & then make it illegal....a federal felony to grow or posess over a certain amount.
And your reasoning for this?
On top of that, start drug testing nicotine addicts & fire them from their jobs....have the children of tobacco addicts taken away by the State--after all, they are harming their kids by exposing them to tobacco smoke. If a police officer smells cigarette smoke in someone's car, charge them for DUI & throw them in jail.
Well, I hope every Freepin' pot head that wants their dope legalized reads this and wises up. LOL. Riiiiight.
Why would you want this?
Did marijuana use go out of existence?
What about alcohol? Oh,yeah,they tried that.
And the beat rolls on, I hear ya.
Because nicotine is an addictive drug that kills over 400,000 people a year...I used to be a tobacco addict until a few years ago, & quitting was pure hell--even with the help of a patch!
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