CNN is reporting that a new cigarette tax is in place. "The cigarette excise tax that tobacco companies must pay the federal government rose Wednesday by 61.6 cents per pack, or $6.16 per carton. The tax now comes to about $10.10 per carton, or $1.01 per pack."That's $1.01 just in tax alone for a single pack of cigarettes. Seems like a lot of tax on such a small item, huh?
Don't get me wrong, if cigarettes didn't exist I would be happy as clam. I have plenty of bad habits of my own, but my bad habits don't affect other people like cigarette smoke does. That being said, is this tax fair? It's certainly a lot of money to pay for a pack of cigarettes! Also, how is this going to affect Virginia's economy that is very much founded on the tobacco industry? Smokers: Will taxes like these influence your decision to buy (or not buy) cigarettes? What price for a pack of cigarettes would be too much to pay? Or does the price matter? Thoughts?
5 comments:
Addiction is a hard line to walk. You feel awful shelling out more money for something that harms your health, but you just can't help doing it.
Yes, I am sure that a hike in prices will deter some from smoking still, and who can be mad at that?
However, for most of us, it will just be another dollar out of our already empty pockets...stressing us out more, leading us to smoke more....ahhh, and the circle continues....
Idea: how about using those newly earned tax dollars to subsidize quit smoking mechanisms, like the patch????
Yea, if they're going to tax you to death then they might as well use that money for something good. Rather than fatter wallets for our state's politicos!
smokers will stlil pay. sean will pay $7 for a pack in MD. doesn't matter. the government can take that money and run for all i care. exploit the smokers! so mean..
If I recall correctly, a majority of the new tax goes to children's hospital or children's research, something of that nature.
it def isn't far, but smokers are going to smoke. i personally love smoking, its a safe outlet then some of the other habits i have. its bad enough that being a smoker in Seattle is bad, and our pack prices are starting to rise as well, but i see this new tax as the beginning b/c in these economic hard times i've seen a decrees on drink, but smokers are still going strong. even though we have to smoke outside now. alot of people i know have switched from buy prepackage cigs to rolling them yourself. virtually you pay half the the cost of a normal pack and you get twice as much smokes which in the long run helps save. i personally only smoke after dark(as it may sound very goth like)or when i'm drinking, which help me save more and smoke less. in the state of new jersey they have some sort of chemical that basically if your not chain smoking you jack goes out in like 5 seconds. and they make the smokes taste like crap. i think they'll keep taxing smokes b/c its easy and its one of the few things that Americans are still buying on a daily basis..
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