$6.49 for smokes?!

[maniactickler]

I just wanted to thank all you smokers. without you, the country would be losing massive amounts of tax money. that would mean raising taxes for everyone. so keep on puffing!

 

[cloudgazer2k]

I just wanted to thank all you smokers. without you, the country would be losing massive amounts of tax money. that would mean raising taxes for everyone. so keep on puffing!

hey, freedom ain't free and all.

but, srs, i understand that taxes are a necessary evil...BUT COME THE FUCK ON!

and i gotta agree with Mairead: smoking lights is like inhaling nicotine-laced air. gimmie my Camels cheap, dammit!

 

[xSamanthax]

Still only 3.00 on the rez...

 

[Sanhael]

And i'd like to pose a question to those who think this tax increase on tobacco is such a great idea.Let's say more people quit as a result.Then the tax revenue will go down.Yeah i know it's supposed to go towards anti smoking programs and health care yada yada.

When more people quit smoking and government no longer has that revenue stream,what's next?Do you really think they they won't find something else to lay a tax on?

The number of people who quit (which I doubt will be that substantial; $4 or $5 a pack, when you smoke a pack a day on a lower-middle-class budget, is already outrageously expensive, and studies suggest an addicted smoker will trim basic necessities before giving up smoking) will be offset by the additional monies paid by those who don't quit.

Also, there are other places where government spending could be trimmed... not, mind you, that I think they're going to do a particularly good job with that. No, they probably will start taxing the daylights out of something else...

Fortunately, I don't smoke, I rarely drink, and I don't buy pornographic materials or visit adult clubs... so, I figure I've got another generation or two before I'm hit by this 😛 Unless, of course, they hit... the fast food joints 😱

 

[storm7400]

Still $5.96 with tax in MD! 😀

 

[Dussicar]

Hearing all of this reminds me of a friend of mine in grade eight.

When he couldn't find or afford any cigarettes he would smoke either dry crabgrass or rolled up toilet paper.

Fucking dumbass.

Though, I really wonder who is the dumbass. He quit smoking by the time he turned ninteen...Here I am still smoking.

 

[General Zod]

I hear chewing tobacco is cheaper 😛

 

[NukeLaloosh]

2 months 3 days and counting ... it's not so bad.

 

[Iggy pop]

I'm sick of the so called "sin tax" thing.If the government wants people to quit smoking,make tobacco illegal.We could do the same thing with alcohol.Oh wait,we tried that once at it worked out well.🙄

So why would we want to make it illegal when we can tax it? I am not sure what you are arguing here. Are you saying anything society wants to prevent or stop it should make illegal? Don't you think it is more prudent to curb behavior through taxation rather than trying to police it?

And i'd like to pose a question to those who think this tax increase on tobacco is such a great idea.Let's say more people quit as a result.Then the tax revenue will go down.Yeah i know it's supposed to go towards anti smoking programs and health care yada yada.

Well, if the money is spent on anti-smoking programs and health care, then you will need less money if more people quit. The problem is when that money is used for other purposes, like head start programs that it becomes a problem.

When more people quit smoking and government no longer has that revenue stream,what's next?Do you really think they they won't find something else to lay a tax on?

There are always going to be taxes.

 

[kis123]

Well, if the money is spent on anti-smoking programs and health care, then you will need less money if more people quit. The problem is when that money is used for other purposes, like head start programs that it becomes a problem.

In my city, they used cigarette taxes to build stadiums that they can't even smoke in. They just raised the cig taxes for some other program that has nothing to do with health care or anti smoking programs.

If they want to fund anti smoking campaigns, why don't they make the damn cigarette companies do it? They know they're selling poison that can kill someone someday; they put it on the side of every pack they sell. Why can they get away with that? They should shoulder the responsibility since they're the ones making the money, IMO.

And for those of you blaming Obama for this, you really need to stop acting silly. Cigarette taxes have been going up steadily for years, including the Bush administration. Really.....the blame game on Obama has gotten old.

If I were a smoker, I'd be beyond pissed.

 

[RobAce]

As a smoker I made a decision to quit. If that was the underlying purpose for the tax-hike then congrats! I am quitting. Now of course the problem with this is if a LOT of people quit like me, especially in this economy, we will see some huge effects. Tobacco farmers will go under....more farm subsidies...those that work in the industry will lose tens of thousands of jobs and then of course all the money that is supposed to fund medicare for poor families will dry up, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in limbo while the government finds something else to tax to make up for the loss of money or families that enjoyed healthcare for a few years will suddenly lose it.

They will be looking for the next thing to tax the government feels is unhealthy. Liquor will the next thing to tax HEAVILY. Soon 1 beer will cost 4.00, 1 bottle of the cheapest/smallest bottle of vodka 15.00. Then will be fast food, then things with too much sugar, then carbs, it is a depressing thing to say...Its unhealthy so if you want to do it and harm yourself, you will just have to pay more.

Also CRIME has already started here in the Atlanta area, since the tax started 4 convenience store workers have been shot during robberies of not cash BUT CIGARETTES. They left the cash...though it was there and just left with the smokes.

I am sure they could have evened out a tax on several products instead of focusing all on one. But either way I find it slightly disturbing.

Rob

 

[natural tickler]

Cigarettes are now well over 9 or 10 bucks. I'm used to Newports being around 7 or 8 dollars, but this is ridiculous.

Either I'm going to have to learn to roll my own, get one of those retarded machines to roll my own, quit, or smuggle them from the suburbs.

Agh Newports are so good though.

go get yours from places in Dupage county, they're only 4 bucks, since they don't apply the county tax

 

[TickledToDeath]

go get yours from places in Dupage county, they're only 4 bucks, since they don't apply the county tax

4 bucks! Wow, almost makes me wish I still smoked!
shhhhh send me a pack!

 

[natural tickler]

4 bucks! Wow, almost makes me wish I still smoked!
shhhhh send me a pack!

you got it bro

 

[Mz Chaos]

Hearing all of this reminds me of a friend of mine in grade eight.

When he couldn't find or afford any cigarettes he would smoke either dry crabgrass or rolled up toilet paper.

Fucking dumbass.

Though, I really wonder who is the dumbass. He quit smoking by the time he turned ninteen...Here I am still smoking.

Well... um... If I smoked dry crabgrass and rolled up toilet paper, I probably wouldn't smoke all that long either.

But ya know...

I really wanna die from something someday... And I'd rather die with a lungfull of cigarette smoke than be a bug spot on the front of a bus or a victim of a fatal mugging or some other non-smokers death. The least they could do is make my passing a little cheaper.

 

[The Fallen Angel]

DAMN! 6.49 for a pack is pretty ridiculous, right now mine are still 4.50 and i hope it stays that way

 

[paracarl44]

UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE is coming in INCREMENTS.

First it was Medicare for the 65+ people, now they want it insure all of the uninsured children. The government must find money for these programs so they pick on things that are harmful to our health.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Well, same thing here. 20 cigs sell for about $5, but for $8 you can buy this:




Which will give you roughly 50 cigarettes (depending on how much you put in there) containing roughly twice as much nicotine as your normal cigs.

You also have cheaper variants such as Drum economy ($6.70)