Posted on 09/03/2007 6:33:18 PM PDT by Wheee The People
Nebraska trying to collect back cigarette taxes
Monday, September 3, 2007 4:44 PM CDT
LINCOLN, Neb. - The state of Nebraska has sent letters to more than 500 residents telling them they owe taxes for cigarettes they bought through the mail or over the Internet.
One of them, Cleo Bell of Adams, doesn't think the state cigarette tax is a fair tax. "We are already taxed to death on cigarettes," he said.
The 74-year-old buys cigarettes four cartons at a time through the mail by calling an 800 number.
The seller didn't collect the state cigarette tax of 64 cents a pack, nor the sales tax, but the law requires Bell to report those purchases and pay those taxes.
But now the state is collecting them, based on reports from the seller.
In July the state sent letters to 112 people who owed a total of $175,000. State tax commissioner Doug Ewald says about $100,000 has been paid so far.
On Aug. 16, 406 Nebraskans who owed more than $100 in back cigarette taxes were sent state letters. By the middle of last week, about $40,000 had been paid of the $190,000 those people owe, Ewald said.
Responding to one of the letters, estate representatives for one of the cigarette buyers sent in a copy of his death certificate. Ewald said the listed cause of death was lung cancer.
Bell said he's hoping to file a class-action suit against the tax, and he said the state collection efforts were unfair to smokers.
Nebraska doesn't go to such lengths to collect the sales tax owed by people who buy other products through the mail, he said.
Federal law requires those who sell and ship cigarettes into states to report those sales to the states.
But there's no such requirement for other sales, so states don't have the same database for such collection efforts, Ewald said.
It doesn't cost much to collect the cigarette tax from individuals, he said, because the sales information comes free from the sellers.
"Just pennies for every dollar collected," Ewald said.
“How does a cigarette smoker get to 74 years of age? I thought that stuff killed you dead.”
Not sure but i’ve been smoking since I was 11 and i’m 70.
Smokin aint for pussies....non smoker right?
If someone wants to die from lung cancer that is their business and none of yours. Taxing the crap out of smokers won't make the cancer go away, all it does is put a hardship on people engaged in a LEGAL activity. I don't smoke, never will smoke but I will defend to the death(to paraphrase Patrick Henry)a smokers right to do it.
Maybe you should get a life instead of trying to run other people's lives, smokers for instance. Don't give me the tired old saw about smokers driving up the cost of medical care, or that you pay for their care, that is BS and anyone with a brain knows it. The main driving force behind the cig tax is revenue and knowing they can scream about second hand smoke(which has been proven to be BS but they still scream it anyway)and non smokers, such as you, who want to control other people, will cheer them on.
I quit in 1999, but my wife still smokes. So we go to Delaware to buy hers, and save about $25 PER CARTON over the robber barons of New Jersey. Also, since Delaware has no sales tax, I now make all big ticket purchases in Delaware. The sales tax savings probably amounts to a few hundred bucks a year just on non-tobacco purchases. It doesn’t take long to add up. $40 on a set of tires, $50 on a washer, etc etc.
Wow..., look wheee.....
Reagan is advertising theose stinky dinky nasty cigarettes, does that make him suck, too????
Does Fred suck as well??????
He must, eh?
I'm sorry for anyone's loss for a hastened demise, due to a habit or lifestyle, but let's leave that up to the fortunate individuals that walk with us.
What part of Nuff said don’t you understand, after all you said it.
He’s probably gone to rolling his own by now.
You don’t know what you’re missing, wheee. Cigarettes are the ideal finish to a good drink, or to a good meal. They help you relax when you’re stressed, nervous or depressed. They provide an activity when you’re bored, and something to do besides eat, when you are someone who snacks when bored. They speed up the metabolism, burning more fat-causing calories. They can keep you awake during long drives. They help you to wake up in the morning, and are a fine finish to a long day. They make for a great excuse to take a break at work.
In essence, you know the negative effects of smoking, and like the rest of the sheeple, you assume there can be no benefits.
Do you think that 75% of the adult population smoked cigarettes, at the height of cigarette popularity, for no reason at all?
I have smoked for decades, and intend to smoke for the rest of my life. I know the risks. It’s like any other unhealthy habit, in that you must accept these, if you want to continue doing something you enjoy.
If I could be guaranteed that I could live forever by quitting, I might be more inclined to do so.
Unfortunately, it’s pretty certain that some day I’m going to die.
Why give up what you love, in exchange for a chance at having a few more years?
I may change my mind later, if my health becomes more certainly threatened by smoking, say, if I get emphysema.
But for now... either make it illegal, or get off my back.
Well said, calex.
“Don’t give me the tired old saw about smokers driving up the cost of medical care, or that you pay for their care”
Right. There is a thread on this forum now, about the breck girl wanting to make doctor’s visits mandatory.
And, shillary and all the head demonistas want a national ban. (So does the huckster)
Maybe wheeeeeee should visit the breck girl thread, and cheer edwards on!!
Here’s a link for you, wheee. I expect to see you there, defending this health care champion, and hater of smoking.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1890330/posts
Because they are addicts they are exempt from collection actions.
I believe it is part of their constitutional right to smoke.
And while your at it, research Hitler and his anti smoking Nazis. Did you know the term 2’nd hand smoke/passive smoking was invented by the Nazis? Look it up Ye that would rule over all.
You two should just get a room somewhere.
“guess the state doesnt know about the special tax cheat exemption.”
I do though.
I’ve missed you, Ray.
The laughs were gettin’lean. Glad to see you around.
Hell, maybe they already have done so.
I knew it! Reagan wanted us all dead!
Sounds like so much blowing smoke ...
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