Posted on 09/20/2005 4:25:26 PM PDT by Past Your Eyes
Maine storekeepers say customers fuming about high cigarette tax
By GLENN ADAMS Associated Press Writer
HALLOWELL, Maine (AP) -- Taking time out to tend to customers who drift into his tobacco shop on a sunny Monday morning, owner Tom Allen showed little worry about the doubling of Maine's cigarette tax to $2 that just took effect.
"There's no impact on me whatsoever. If anything, it will help because people will stop buying packs and make their own," said Allen, whose Kennebec Tobacco Co. sells bags of loose rolling tobacco as a sideline to its main products, cigars and pipe products.
But farther west toward the New Hampshire border, storekeepers said they were hearing it from customers and seeing the first signs of regulars drifting to the Granite State to buy their smokes. New Hampshire's tax is 80 cents a pack, which makes a carton of cigarettes $12 less in that state than in Maine.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Not me but my wife is looking for a good paying job. She spells even better than I do.
";^0
Sorry, the job pays 10% of what I get paid - nothing. LOL.
I'm a smoker and I can remember when people said "when it gets to $2.00 / pack, I'm quitting". Then $3.00... then $4.00, etc...
The price of cigarettes is really remarkably elastic.
I switched to a pipe when they went to $.30/pack in the machines in the dorms when I was in college.
Thank you. I've found that the most ardent anti smoking NAZI's are, cough, former smoker's! Blackbird.
Thank you. I've found that the most ardent anti smoking NAZI's are, cough, former smoker's! Blackbird.
We figured it out: all Augusta had to do was tax every can of beer by one cent and that would have taken care of their budget. But no, they had to lay this tax all on the backs of the smokers again!
I started rolling my own a year before he raised it again. I was still pissed off from the first time. That RHINO is the worst guv we've ever had, regardless of party.
Better get everybody back over to the poll thread-the Taliban are starting to vote again.
Figures.
53-47 in favor of repealing.
I had a guy the other day explaining to me what a nice guy Baldacci was. I had to explain that being a nice guy with a low watt IQ does not translate into being a good manager of the people's money.
They love their hometown boy here...
Thanks so much metesky! Its been a long hard road for me. I lost most of my summer. :(
Hopefully, I am back on the mend again!!! :)
We figured it out that all Augusta had to do was tack one cent on each can of beer and the budget would have been fixed.
But no, the lawmakers had to dump the whole load on the backs of the Maine smokers ......again!
"And this makes it right?," says the Madame Dufarge Coalition on Smoking or Homicide.
Good to see ya', darlin.'
Well, when only 25-30% of the people in Maine smoke, of course the 'majority' is going to be for taxing the smokers. This keeps the hands of the lawmakers out of THEIR pockets. I've never seen it fail that when it comes to taxes and polls, we lose every time.
Good to see you too!!! :)
I'm a Massachusetts smoker and I don't know one smoker here in The Gay State that buys their cigs in Massachusetts anymore.
Of course the idiot politicians say smoking rates are down when it is just smoking purchases that are down.
Morons.
Philbrick's,which is a store in NH,actually advertises on Mass radio to shop in tax-free NH.
Their ad says, "Make it in Massachusetts,spend it in New Hampshire".
Don't ya love it?
Of course! The cigarette tax revenue goes down, so the lawmakers say that everyone must have quit smoking. LOL!!!
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