Crist against $1 tax hike on cigarettes

Miami Herald ^ | 4/15/2008 | The Associated Press

[Happy Valley Dude]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Charlie Crist is extinguishing health care advocates' hopes for a dollar increase in the cigarette tax.

A measure in the Legislature would boost the tax on a pack of smokes from 34 cents to $1.34, and was scheduled for a hearing Tuesday in the Senate Health Policy Committee.

But asked earlier Tuesday whether he supported such an increase, Crist said simply, "No."

Crist's Republican colleagues in the House aren't very supportive of the idea either, opposing tax increases of any kind even in the face of one of the deepest budget shortfalls in recent years.

Increasing the tax would bring an additional $1 billion into state coffers.

But it's health care advocates who are pushing the bill (SB 2790), arguing that raising the tax would cause people, especially cash-strapped kids, to stop smoking. The American Cancer Society estimates that 123,000 people might stop smoking as a result of a $1 increase.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, knows the strong opposition to tax increases, especially in an election year. So, Deutch's bill also changes the word "tax" in the cigarette tax law, making it a "user fee" instead.

[stefanbatory]

I’d like to charge a user fee for my money that is sent to Tallahassee and to the local government...where do I do that?

[poobear]

“Increasing the tax would bring an additional $1 billion into state coffers.”

Yes, the state of Georgia and Alabama maybe.

Morons! Besides, you can by cigs produced by Indian Tribal Tobacco Corporations for a buck a pack. Zero taxes!

[edzo4]

they just did this in MA
and they had a break down of the cost of smokes
$2.28 was the retail cost
$0.97 was the markup the store charged
$0.39 federal tax
$0.17 sales tax
and
$1.51 state tax

so I called the state house and asked if cigarettes are so bad why does the state make more off them than the manufacturer
and if people quit smoking or die from smoking what are they going to do to replace this revenue
they had no answer...

[devistate one four]

Doyle did it in Wisconsin. Now a lot of folks are buying from the rez. But I suspect more will quit altogether and then ALL tax payers will have to foot the bill for this looney, left, owned by the NEA, piece of s**t!

[poobear]

That's why they always tie cigarette taxes with some kind of “to help the poor” or “fund health care for children” that way when revenues are down they couldn't possibly nix these hearth throb programs but rather raise taxes elsewhere to fund them.

It's getting old.

[darkangel82]

Wow, Gouverneur L’Orange got one right for a change.

[ElectricStrawberry]

We’re about to get that one up here in MA.....and NOBODY is against it.

Who cares about smokers anyway?

(disgruntled ex-smoker)

[Just another Joe]

Puff