Smokers face a hit as tobacco taxes spike

[Ladywriter 7,783]

The per-pack tax climbs from 39 cents to $1.01 starting Wednesday

WASHINGTON - However they satisfy their nicotine cravings, tobacco users are facing a big hit as the single largest federal tobacco tax increase ever takes effect Wednesday.Tobacco companies and public health advocates, longtime foes in the nicotine battles, are trying to turn the situation to their advantage. The major cigarette makers raised prices a couple of weeks ago, partly to offset any drop in profits once the per-pack tax climbs from 39 cents to $1.01.

Medical groups see a tax increase right in the middle of a recession as a great incentive to help persuade smokers to quit.

Sure it will. A huge chunk of the smoking public is living around or below the poverty level.

Problems with this type of legislation:

Obviously depending on people to continue to do harm to their body to have cash for health care for others is just godamn stupid. Ye olde you gotta die so someone else can live thinking is archaic and barbaric. Its a throw back to the dark ages.

The impoverished and financially struggling constantly and continually go without creature comforts and luxuries making the gap between the haves and have nots ever wider, more glaring, and more contentious.

I'm all for fair taxation on luxury items, cigs booze, your new Lexus and multi million dollar mansion, and eventually pot. Fair is the key word though here.

If every can of beer, bottle of wine or other booze suddenly jumped in tax there would be godamn rioting akin to prohibition.

5 to 1 baby 1 in 5 in this country smoke ciggies but the number of people who consume alcohol is greater then that. Cig smokers have been singled out as a minority to be beat up on the few years.

Soon you'll only be able to smoke your $30 dollar cigarette in your own home all alone under the bed or in your closet. And if you cant budget that cancer stick into your finances you'll either be forced to quit or go without groceries.

Big suprise... not all smokers WANT to quit. I myself would like to chop back to just a few a day and less then a pack a week but cutting back and going without are two different things. When you push people into a corner they either curl up into the fetal position and give up or come out swinging.

This legislation will financially force a lot of people to go without what most people consider a nussiance luxury, what most puffers consider a lifeline to their sanity.

Good luck with this crap America, brace yourself for some backlash. Its one thing to be told you can't smoke in a resturaunt, bar, playground; its another to put someone in the position of choosing between grocries and cigarettes.