Posted on 02/04/2009 8:01:45 AM PST by kristinn
Barely two weeks in office, President Barack Hussein Obama will raise taxes this afternoon with his signature on the SCHIP bill scheduled to pass the House of Representatives today.
The reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program includes massive tax increases on cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products. Similar bills were vetoed twice by President George W. Bush in part because of the tax increases. Democrats in the House and Senate have voted overwhelmingly for the tax increases each time the bill was proposed and were joined by a handful of Republicans.
The bill Obama will sign today raises the federal tax on a pack of cigarettes by 62 cents (or $6.20 per carton) bringing the federal tax to $1.01 per pack.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was quoted by the AP as saying of the bill signing, ""It's going to be a happy day for America."
A Heritage Foundation analysis of the bill reported that even with the massive tax increases, 22 million new smokers will be needed to pay for the expansion of SCHIP.
Obama is scheduled to hold a public signing ceremony at 4:30 P.M. today.
Time to quit smoking.
The increased tobacco taxes will reduce consumption. Then where will the government get the tax revenue to pay for SCHIP?
That’ll put the moisture back in the liberals panties, won’t it? Don’t forget . . . Harry Reid said that our tax system is NOT coercive and is totally voluntary . . . so I can’t wait to have my taxes raised . . . I’m happier than a poop-house mouse!
They will take it from everyone’s paycheck.
Democrats don’t mind raising taxes because they never intend to pay them.
This is a tax on the poor people. These are the same folks that voted for him!
Question for Obama: What’s the percentage of welfare and low-income Americcans who smoke?
Headline - “Obama Raises Taxes on Cigarettes: Low Income Americans Hardest Hit!”
I heard this referred to by a news anchor as a “very popular” program. If it’s so damned “popular,” why are smokers being forced into paying for it? A 30 year old is a “children?” Gimme a break! Yeah. A very “happy day for Amerika.” This should be called the illegal alien free healthcare program.
Start smoking everyone, little kiddies depend on you for their government healthcare.
Smoking is the new patriotism!
Thankfully I quit 20 years ago. My primary reason was for the health of my children, especially my youngest who suffered from acute asthma. Secondary to that was the huge tax increase that went into effect January 1989. Now they are at it again. And, who is going to be hit hardest by this tax increase? People living at or below the poverty line.
Has anyone else discussed with a liberal
the fact that taxes are taken at gunpoint?
In my experience, they refuse to acknowledge that their policies are implemented through the threat of deadly force.
He said he was going to “lower taxes for 95% of Americans”.
Another Obama Lie.
When revenue falls off from smokers, they will come after all of us. Once a plan is in place, they will say that they have to fund it somehow.
Its a happy day for the people that don’t have to work. And Tom daschle.
And a universal healthcare system will ration out
another huge group that voted for “the cool black guy” -
the elderly, seeking “free” healthcare.
Needs we must finance it, open your wallet wider. It's for the children.
What a SCHIPhead.
I’m SO glad I quit smoking over a year ago.
A pack of cigs currently cost over $6 in Taxachusetts, this will probably push it over $7. Unbeliveable...
And so it.....begins.
“In my experience, they refuse to acknowledge that their policies are implemented through the threat of deadly force.”
Have you seen that video of Harry Reid where he says repeatedly that our tax system is VOLUNTARY? He’s absolutely out of his mind, and I understand he’s still in good shape for re-election in his next term!
Yes time for all of us to quit (as I have). If you don’t want to quit go on line and order smokes from over seas and smoke the US Congress. All kind of site on computer to do this.
I SUPPORT increasing the taxes on cigarettes. No conservative should support smoking.
The spending is ridicules and using cigarettes to pay for kids is absurd. No conservative should support that.
Smoking is Patriotic!
Makes me glad I never started. The only positive note about this tax is that people can choose how much to pay - or not - by how much they choose to smoke.
"A Heritage Foundation analysis of the bill reported that even with the massive tax increases, 22 million new smokers will be needed to pay for the expansion of SCHIP."
“The increased tobacco taxes will reduce consumption.”
Not necessarily. I predict a substantial uptick in income for local Indian tribe markets.
I don’t support increasing taxes for anything.
If the people like to smoke let them.
See my tagline.
The WSJ says that this is a “Poor Tax”, because the poor are the largest demographic of smokers.
That is what the American people, in their infinate wisdom, wanted. They said that they did via their votes.
I personally did not and do not want it, but what is my opinion against so many millions of idiots.
Growing my own tobacco -I've had it with these prices! (A journal)
Google hits for "Grow your own tobacco" = 2,180,000
Let’s hear it for MORE GOVERNMENT!!
Puff
Salary caps. The federal government is now using its power to limit one’s salary.
,
-The Democrats
Don’t forget..SOCIALISM!!! Cause it worked so well for the USSR!!!!!
Oh, I’m sure they’ll be making that illegal soon. Have to eliminate loopholes.
Yessirree! Damn those lousy smokers. Screw ‘em. Tax ‘em to death before the smoke kills ‘em. But just make sure you don’t tax any of the activities I HAPPEN TO ENGAGE IN! Just he sort of clear, 1984 “Do it to Julia” thinking that the left so ardently depends upon.
“The increased tobacco taxes will reduce consumption. “
The increased tobacco taxes will increase the black market cigarettes from China.
There. Fixed it.
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