Once you start taxing healthy people to pay for unhealthy people with unhealthy lifestyles... you have taken us out of free markets. so now the proper thing to do is to tax cigarettes, stupidity. People who don't finish high school. People who don't finish college etc. The greater the risk that you will some day drain resources the more you should be taxed while you are working or have money. right?
Ha, I read bootleg Marb's from china wholesale @ a buck a pack, imagine that. The Indians want to build a cig mfg plant upstate Ny. The gov't has created an entire industry of criminals. Smokes are a low margin fast turnover product that really produce revenue for the small bodega's. High taxes sort of trash a small retailers revenue source to draw traffic. Cigarettes are now worth stealing. Oh well.......
Because we all pay for the healthcare costs (Medicare and Medicaid) when people get smoking-related illnesses. In addition, I still cannot go to a lot of public venues because of the offensive smoke.
So I invented this product that you spray into the air. It doesn't do anything, but it does smell pretty bad. Also, I've learned that it is incredibly physically addictive and causes a great deal of physical harm over time to anyone who sprays it and frequently even causes death. While not as profound, it even causes harm to people who don't use it. Pretty cool, huh? Now most would say that my product would never be allowed to be sold, and yet some nitwits think I should have the right to sell anything I want, even if it only purpose is to kill you overtime. Others are upset because I'm being unfairly taxed. Man!, this is a weird place. I guess Toyota should be allowed to sell cars that don't stop too if the tax is high enough. Bayer ought to be able to sell an aspirn that will "permentantly" relieve your headache and Smith and Wesson a gun that shoots out the back every once in a while. Can anyone tell me another product thats allowed on the market that if used properly carries such a high probability of user death as cigarettes?
Great post. Thank you for saving me a lot of typing. What a bunch of non free market and nanny state replies. Nanny state in so far as they just want to collect more freaking taxes!!!!! Shrink the size of government and GET THEIR FREAKING HANDS OUT OF OUR FREAKING POCKETS!!!!! It's supposed to be a free country. If someone wants to smoke, they should freaking be able to smoke. And, NO, I'm not a smoker.
When they all stop, the wonderful guv will still be excpecting those revenues. And they know where to get them! Bend over.....and have a smoke. You will pay anyway.
how stupid does a nation have to be to end up with a majority of obese people, KNOWING about all the health risks and costs to the health care systems that even those have to bear who live a health conscious life style? See my point? Everything is relative ;-) P.S.: 300 yen a pack in the country with the longest life expectancy yet one of the highest smoking population in the world. So much to "scientific evidence" (and its not only non smokers who make for a long life span)
The important point is being lost. We are trying to legalize "smoking" marijuana, fer chrissakes. Smoke is smoke. Second hand marijuana smoke is acceptable (sarcasm).
Imagine paying an additional $50 taxes on a case of beer. Chewing tobacco technically is a food product Taxed the same a cigarettes. Entire government budgets are made from cigarette taxes. If everyone were to quit the economy would sure as hell tank. This land of the free has hidden tax mines everywhere.