Posted on 03/13/2009 3:07:22 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Tobacco connoisseurs can't catch a break.
A new federal tax recently approved by President Obama has increased cigarette carton prices by more than $10 - about 75 cents a pack.
The tax was passed in January as part of a multibillion dollar package to provide health care for children and certain legal immigrants. Local tobacco users and dealers admit the cause is admirable, but said the tax is unjust.
“There is about zero common sense or logic in this whole tax,” said David Roth, owner of Tobacco Alley in Somerset. “It is a revenue stream that has been drying up for years.”
Cigarettes are not the only tobacco product with rising prices. Roth said bagged tobacco will be increased by $25 a pound.
The tax becomes official in April; however, retailers said that manufacturers have already increased their prices to prepare for the hike. As a result, prices in stores started going up on Monday.
“The more you raise taxes on this product, the less money the government is bringing in,” Roth said. “That many more people are quitting or going to the black market.”
U.S. Rep. John Murtha voted for the tax to help bring health care to 11 million children, including 227,000 in Pennsylvania, according to a prepared statement from his office.
“The CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) improves both the health and chance for success of these children, and it saves us money by reducing costly emergency room visits which have come to supplement primary care,” Murtha said.
Alice Holler, a smoker from the Meyersdale area, said she doesn't have a problem with helping children. But coupled with the state smoking ban, Holler said smokers are being hit too hard. The ban started in September and prohibits smoking in most public places.
“I feel they should start taxing something else instead of cigarettes,” she said while walking along West Main Street in Somerset on Thursday. She suggested levying a tax on alcohol instead.
Sheetz waited until Wednesday to raise its tobacco prices. Lou Sheetz, vice president of marketing, said tobacco sales equal about one-third of their in-store business.
“The tax is excessive,” he said. “The money will be put to good use, I am sure. It will be a burden to that (smoking) portion of adults.”
Sheetz said customers usually blame the retailer for price increases. But when it comes to taxation, Sheetz said, their hands are tied.
“It isn't real until it hits, and it hit us,” he said. “Now we have to pass it on to the customer.”
And once tobacco becomes more expensive than drugs, there will be a cry to legalize and tax drugs. Count on it!
You are kidding yourself if you think that this will keep kids from smoking. And as a conservative, I have no problem with people smoking. That is a part of liberty and freedom. If you are a conservative, and approve of this tax, you should maybe do some re thinking about the issue.
Typical small-minded sheeple thinking. Let some other's group ox get gored but leave mine alone. Instead woman...how about NOT taxing all more, PERIOD!
But it becoming illegal to smoke in most places in CA and getting worse.
I’ve gone back and forth on this issue. I agree that the more they tax these smokers the fewer smokers there will be (or black market sales) and the less income to the coffers. I also agree that no smokers at all would be a super huge reduction in health care costs so the fewer there are the better. The down side is the tax & spend mentality. When the smokers go away, the dem’s will never spend less, they will just raise taxes on all the non-smokers’ income to cover their expensive menu of entitlement services they’ve created. so for that reason, I say no more cigarette taxes and no more programs that need to be funded.
If Bama could only forsee. I’m donating my stimulus money to candidates that can beat him and his cronies in congress. Now if I can only find a capable candidate.
Don't worry, they will. Well, it won't be something else taxed instead of cigarettes but rather in addition to cigarettes. There just aren't enough current smokers to support SCHIP. The program needs every smoker currently smoking to continue as well as recruiting 20 million new ones in order to fund this program. Ain't gonna happen.
Valit point but don' forget. they charge sales tax when you make the final purchase.
You pay tax on tax, isn't it wonderful?
I think there should be a 20 cents per square foot tax on green lawns in excess of 1000 sq feet. Think about it. It’s a luxury. Only the upper income people have lawns by the acre. Cutting down on large green lawns would curb water use, ie., waste. Less gas would be used in lawnmowers, saving energy costs.
“The ancient Chinese taxed “night soil” (the human waste left in an outhouse). What will the Democrats go after next? “
They’ll tax the Sheetz!
Exactly Right!
I roll my own...When did a carton of cigarettes have 7.5 packs? It used to be 10. When the hell did that happen?
FMCDH(BITS)
Don’t make me look up Psalm 83:1-8. What does it say.
Does Obama REALLLLY want a decrease in smoking, or does he love the tax money coming in?
I am a Conservative and fully support my right to smoke.
Smoking for children is already against the law. If parents cannot control their children and keep them from smoking, I should not be penalized.
Maybe we should raise the cost of ammo, to keep kids from shooting up schools.
I am passing this info along because I want to help smokers get out from under these ever-smothering taxes. I don’t smoke myself but I want to see the government who doesn’t give two craps about your health (but who will tax you to death) lose tax revenue.
It’s the E-cigarette. It looks like these people have finally gotten electronic cigarettes right. They look like a regular cig. They feel right in your hand. They deliver nicotine to you via a battery-powered micro-atomizer when you inhale. They also deliver water vapor along with it so that when you exhale, it looks like smoke. Plus it saves your lungs because you’re not smoking 300+ other chemicals. And it doesn’t stink, it’s odorless.
I have done the math on it. Generally people are paying 5-5.50 per pack (with taxes) depending on brand. You smoke a pack a day, thats 35-40 bucks a week. Lots of that are taxes. You buy an e-cigarette package, it’s $99 for the atomizer/batter section and 10 nicotine cartridges (equiv to 200 cigarettes). You will pay for it in 3 weeks, then you’ll be coming out ahead. The replacement cartridges are 5 cartridges (100 cigs) for $10, that works out to $2 bucks a pack.
You will be saving a hell of a lot of money because there is no cigarette tax on this. you can also ‘smoke’ them anywhere because they are not a cigarette, they don’t stink or violate any clean air laws. It’s just a nicotine delivery system. You can smoke them at the same restaurant table you just had dinner at. Then when you’re done, you can put it back in your shirt pocket or carrier.
The battery pack part of it recharges on the home charger that comes with it. It is really cool. I just got one for my mom.
The place I found it at is here if any of you are tired of paying the high taxes and having to go outside for smokes:
http://www.smoking-everywhere.com/catalog/Electronic_Cigarette-1-1.html
They have a special deal if you get two (rotate each batter unit for longer life, or keep one at home and one on you, etc), you get a third one free. You could even sell the free one to a buddy to cover some of your initial costs.
I wanted to make sure this info gets out because I have been told the FDA is considering screwing this up because (I believe) for two reasons - one, it rejects their ‘smoking kills’ mantra, and two, people get around cig taxes. So I’d seriously consider it now before they decide to regulate or shut it down.
The SCHIP program is some of the worst spending of all. I in noway support that. However, too many so called conservatives here turn a blind eye to kids and the addictions of smoking.
Adults don’t smoke. Teenagers smoke and then become adults after it’s way too late to quit.
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