Federal Tax Increase on Cigarettes

[auditor0007]

Federal tax on cigarettes increasing 62 cents
Anti-tobacco advocates welcome hike of nearly 62 cents; smokers irked
By Shari Rudavsky
Posted: March 12, 2009Read Comments(179)Recommend (1)E-mail Print Share Del.icio.us Digg Reddit Yahoo Google A A Smokers looking for another incentive to quit just received about 62 cents' worth of one: the increase in the federal tax on cigarettes.

In Indiana, about $1 in federal tax will combine with the state's 99.5-cent tax to bring the average cost of a pack of cigarettes to near $5 by April 1.



Anti-tobacco advocates welcome the increase, saying it will likely lead to a further reduction in cigarette sales.

"Any time that there's an increase in the price of tobacco at the retail level, that translates to people trying to quit," said Karla Sneegas, executive director of Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation. "Everyone is definitely watching their costs very closely, and this is a great way to save money for your family."

Ten months after a state tax increase, Indiana saw cigarette sales decline by 17.8 percent.

The 61.66-cent federal cigarette tax increase could lead to 27,600 fewer adult smokers in Indiana, according to an estimate from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Not only will the increase persuade smokers to quit, it also may prevent youths from picking up the habit, said Liza Sumpter, tobacco control program manager for the Marion County Health Department.

Unlike other cigarette tax hikes, this one includes increases for other tobacco products, including "little cigars" or "brown cigarettes," frequent substitutions for cigarettes, Sneegas said.

"We were encouraged to see that, because when you increase one product . . . you don't want to drive people to another tobacco product," she said.

At the Puff & Chew on Indianapolis' Eastside, Sondra Cooper already has seen a decline in business. The price for a carton of Marlboros at her store recently rose from $39.99 to $47.

Federal tax on cigarettes increasing 62 cents | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star

Since Government has deemed it necessary to tax the hell out of tobacco, I want to know when it will start taxing the hell out of unhealthy food. Obesity is a much bigger problem and is adding much more to our healthcare costs than tobacco. So when the hell are they going to start adding a $4 tax to every fast food meal? When are they going to place a $1 tax on every candy bar?

I don't eat junk food. I rarely eat fast food. But I do smoke. I want to know when all the fatass slobs will have to pay their fair share. Big Brother is there to help us all quit smoking by taxing the hell out of tobacco; so when is Big Brother going to start taxing the fat asses?

I propose that all Frito Lay products be taxed $2. Krispy Creme Donuts should be taxed $1 each. All meals from McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC, and any other fast food joint should be taxed $4. Oh, and that Bloomin Onion from The Outback should be taxed $10. If it isn't healthy, then it should be taxed just like tobacco and alcohol.

Hell, if they taxed all foods that are bad for us, it would probably pay for national healthcare. And since the government is into sin taxes, the time is here to start taxing all the sin foods. Maybe then, some of these fat asses who drive up our healthcare costs will pay their fair share.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Save Money on Cigarettes: Grow Your Own Tobacco - Associated Content

Growing Your Own Tobacco | How To Grow Tobacco

I would love to see smokers deny the government its pound of flesh.

I am hoping my fellow beer drinkers will join the home brewing community as well

 

[Midnight Marauder]

I started the RYO cigarette thing a couple of months ago, specifically to avoid these new taxes. One hurdle however, was the 1000% tax increase on LOOSE tobacco! The TAX on it starting April 1st is $24 a POUND!

We got around it for the long term however, there's a loophole in that tax we're going to be taking advantage of. By the way, it's the big cigarette manufacturers who lobbied for this massive tax increase on RYO tobacco. So much for The Obama not kow-towing to special interests!

 

[Zoom-boing]

How much is a pack of cigarettes going for these days? They're using this tax to fund the S-chip health care program for kids. If they raise the tax to get more money but end up losing smokers (and money) in the process . . . how's this working?? Oh yeah, half-assed and backwards per government standards.

 

[Midnight Marauder]

How much is a pack of cigarettes going for these days?

Real close to six bucks, depending on where you are.

It'll be well over six after April 1st.

 

[Skull Pilot]

How much is a pack of cigarettes going for these days? They're using this tax to fund the S-chip health care program for kids. If they raise the tax to get more money but end up losing smokers (and money) in the process . . . how's this working?? Oh yeah, half-assed and backwards per government standards.

You have just summarized why sin taxes are inherently flawed.

Sin taxes are nothing more than a ham handed social engineering tool that the government wields with the benevolent rationale of doing what is best for us.

Hence the rise in popularity, especially among "liberals", of taxes on soda, candy, the banning of certain cooking oils and yes the taxing of tobacco and alcohol.

The government in its wisdom decided that certain activities and substances are bad for the people and in an attempt to lessen these undesirable behaviors decides to tax them and use the revenues to fund government offices dedicated to the eradication of these behaviors.

And it always ends the same way. The revenues gained are absorbed into the government spending addiction and when sin taxes do what they were designed to do, that is reduce smoking or whatever, the government sees a decrease in revenue.

Rather than seeing the decrease in smoking as a positive, all the government sees is that revenues are down and the scramble begins to find a new sin to tax. Hence the new fat taxes on soda, candy and sugary foods that are becoming ever more popular. After all being fat is "bad for you" and the government must stop people from being fat.

It is a never ending cycle of government addiction to our tax dollars that drive this social engineering via taxes and we should impose our own sin tax on the government's addiction. It's time for an intervention. The government must enter rehab and learn to live with less of our money.

 

[Zoom-boing]

How much is a pack of cigarettes going for these days?

Real close to six bucks, depending on where you are.

It'll be well over six after April 1st.

I'm going to kill my husband! He smokes 1/2 pack a day which equals $1200-$1300 per year. Damn addictions!!

 

[Midnight Marauder]

How much is a pack of cigarettes going for these days?

Real close to six bucks, depending on where you are.

It'll be well over six after April 1st.

I'm going to kill my husband! He smokes 1/2 pack a day which equals $1200-$1300 per year. Damn addictions!!

Get him rolling his own. Pure tobacco, none of the chemicals or additives. He'll find he smokes less, feels better, but he might get a hitch in his get-along due to a much heavier wallet.

Anyhow my roll your own (RYO) smokes cost about $1.18 a pack. Take the Old Man to your local smoking professional, a smoke shop. There they have fine cigars, but they also have the RYO tubes, machines, and the tobacco.

Here's another growing alternative, what I call ENDS: Electronic Nicotine Delivery Devices. I have a friend who went to this and he swears by it:

NJOY Electronic Cigarettes - The Smoking Alternative with All the Pleasures Without All the Problems

 

[Zoom-boing]

Real close to six bucks, depending on where you are.

It'll be well over six after April 1st.

I'm going to kill my husband! He smokes 1/2 pack a day which equals $1200-$1300 per year. Damn addictions!!

Get him rolling his own. Pure tobacco, none of the chemicals or additives. He'll find he smokes less, feels better, but he might get a hitch in his get-along due to a much heavier wallet.

Anyhow my roll your own (RYO) smokes cost about $1.18 a pack. Take the Old Man to your local smoking professional, a smoke shop. There they have fine cigars, but they also have the RYO tubes, machines, and the tobacco.

Here's another growing alternative, what I call ENDS: Electronic Nicotine Delivery Devices. I have a friend who went to this and he swears by it:

NJOY Electronic Cigarettes - The Smoking Alternative with All the Pleasures Without All the Problems

Thanks for the tips!!

 

[Care4all]

i heard on the local news this past week that the state of Maine raised their cigarette taxes PER PAK to $2.00 and it is effective this april 09, and stores that have bought cigarettes already to sell and have them on their store shelves, will be charged the tax on those as well!!!

Then you add the Federal Cigarette tax to it and who knows what the heck a pak costs? I would say maybe 7 bucks a pak up here?

 

[dilloduck]

likewise--that Njoy package looks promising

 

[Care4all]

You know, if the government charged a $2 a pack cigarette tax and then took this money to pay for all of the health care for these smokers and or the cessation courses to quit for these people i would have less of a problem with this consumption tax on to them....

But to use cigarette smokers to pay a tax that has absolutely nothing to do with them, or their addiction, is wrong imo.

Care

 

[dilloduck]

You know, if the government charged a $2 a pack cigarette tax and then took this money to pay for all of the health care for these smokers and or the cessation courses to quit for these people i would have less of a problem with this consumption tax on to them....

But to use cigarette smokers to pay a tax that has absolutely nothing to do with them, or their addiction, is wrong imo.

Care

Have you thought this through carefully ?

 

[Midnight Marauder]

likewise--that Njoy package looks promising

My friend is a 48-state trucker. He's smoked all his adult life, he's in his mid 30s now. He absolutely swears by the njoy system. Myself, I am going to try it as well when I am ready to quit, I believe it would make an excellent pacifier for weaning off nicotine.

He says he hits the njoy 3-4 times a day, just a couple of puffs each time, and his cravings are gone. He says he can't calculate the money this has saved. And he feels better, his cough is gone, he's actually losing weight (figure that) and he can hit the njoy anywhere smoking is not allowed! It puts out only water vapor!

 

[dilloduck]

likewise--that Njoy package looks promising

My friend is a 48-state trucker. He's smoked all his adult life, he's in his mid 30s now. He absolutely swears by the njoy system. Myself, I am going to try it as well when I am ready to quit, I believe it would make an excellent pacifier for weaning off nicotine.

He says he hits the njoy 3-4 times a day, just a couple of puffs each time, and his cravings are gone. He says he can't calculate the money this has saved. And he feels better, his cough is gone, he's actually losing weight (figure that) and he can hit the njoy anywhere smoking is not allowed! It puts out only water vapor!

Looks like a great idea since the price and public sentiment is seriously cramping my style.
It used to be so fun.

 

[editec]

It is cheaper to be stoner than a smoker.

Trust me on this, I know of what I speak.

Yesterday here in Maine I paid $7.86 for a pack of smokes. Do the math times 30 packs per month.

Which means that NOW, the smoking addiction which I gpicked up when I was 14 years old, is over 20 times more expensive than it was when I was first addicted.

In those days I made $0.85 an hour washing dishes for my spending money. Anyone here know of any dishwashers making $17 per hour?

I am told that the FEDs plan to raise that taxes by another $4 a pack. That will make cigarettes over 30 TIMES what they cost (not acccounting for inflation) when I first became addicted to them.

You can expect to see the criminal enterprises turn this golden opportunity into a black market on ciggies.

See?

This is exactly why I object to the government legalizing and taxing hemp, too.

Now they'll tell you that they are doing this to keep kids from smoking, or to offset the HC costs of smokers, but do not believe them.

They know perfectly well that the only reason doing this is because they CAN.

Expect this taxation to hit alcohol, guns, ammunition, and anything else where they can be assured that those who eschew those things will sit idly by and feel superior that they aren't being taxed.

This is part social engineering and part outright theft.

 

[Care4all]

You know, if the government charged a $2 a pack cigarette tax and then took this money to pay for all of the health care for these smokers and or the cessation courses to quit for these people i would have less of a problem with this consumption tax on to them....

But to use cigarette smokers to pay a tax that has absolutely nothing to do with them, or their addiction, is wrong imo.

Care

Have you thought this through carefully ?

yeah, i think so?

except that i don't think or believe in sin taxes in general. I don't think the government should tax you extra for something you consume just because they pretend they don't like it or it is not good for you...liquor, cigs, etc....how does that spell equal for all or liberty?

I especially don't like the cigarette tax because it preys upon AN ADDICTION, not necessarily a choice. And they know this, and COUNT ON THIS addiction in order to collect taxes....they don't want you to quit, they don't care that it is dangerous to you, they are relieved you have the addiction so they can collect money off of your addiction and this helps them spend....

i just think it is such a FAKE reason to over tax an item because "they" think it is bad for you, if it was bad for you as much as they say, then they would have banned them and greasy foods and potato chips.....

It's barking up the wrong tree and gives others the power to control your behavior....?

Is that REALLY freedom and liberty and equal treatment when others are dictating things like this for those that differ?

Freedom and equal opportunity comes from STEPPING BACK and letting people make their own choices about themselves, without your interference and the same courtesy given to you and your personal choices....

at least this is what I had thought....

Care

 

[dilloduck]

It is cheaper to be stoner than a smoker.

Trust me on this, I know of what I speak.

Smoking doesn't inhibit what I do NEARLY as much as if I tried to do it stoned.

 

[strollingbones]

ciggie prices...with taxes...

cheap: tuson, tahoe, cherokee, eagles $2.50 a pack and $21.00 a carton

mid level: basic, vantage, winston, camels, $3.75 to $4.25 a pack $26.00 to $32.00 a carton

most expensive: marlboros...$5.00 a pack...$40.00 a carton

american spirit: organic $4.00 a pack or pouch

smokeless is running...$1.50 to $4.75 Husky to copenhagen

ryo: bulgler/tops are still $1.50 prince albert is $2.00

no idea of how the new tax will rip these prices upward...marlboro smokers are mostly quitting...they dont care for the cheaper brands and have said fuck it.. i will quit before i smoke eagles...

new cheap ciggie..will be riverside...about $16.00 a carton

most of the companies have gotten the price raise in position and are ready to hike prices...

now these are nc prices...i dont even want to consider nyc prices

 

[strollingbones]

It is cheaper to be stoner than a smoker.

Trust me on this, I know of what I speak.

hydro is 120 a quarter here...

high level

mid level hydro is 100

commerical is 80

oz prices are not that great a deal right now