The only way to make the smoking tax fair is to tax ONLY those that smoke and do not have healthcare insurance. I propose that as long as you can prove you are covered you should not have to pay the burdensome taxes.
The tax encourages black market smugglers. Interesting how or why the gov't will create criminals out of ordinary people with lawful products. (or more annoying panhandlers and bums). I also wonder why the cig companies are not allowed to change package size. Every product sold has package changes except smokes.
Obviously I have no way of knowing, and I'm not being confrontational, but you sound like a smoker rationalizing why YOU should not have to pay. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't smoke so I don't care how much cigarettes are taxed.
I agree with Lucrum. Your "solution" makes no sense whatsoever. If anything, people who smoke and have health insurance should have to pay the tax because they're a burden on the health care system.
Nonsense. Just because a smoker may have insurance does not mean his preventable smoking-related health problems won't be a financial drain on the healthcare system.
The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) provides payments to the states to compensate for the cost of providing health care for persons with smoking-related illnesses to the tune of >350 billion. Of course most of these bonds were sold off pennies on the dollar for sidewalk repair and other dubious non health care services. (ancient history for the revenue hungry though)
Some studies show that since smokers die sooner, tobacco use causes them to actually collect less overall from the public sector. Smokers really get screwed nowadays, not that they would not be getting screwed even with no taxes on the stuff. I favor consumption taxes over all other forms of tax however so... tax the smokers baby, crank that sales tax too... that is the only tax that criminals pay.
the only fair solution to the school tax is only those who have kids have to pay. the only solution to the military tax is only those who want a war started have to pay. isnt it nice if we all get to pick and choose?
If you have insurance your bills get paid if you get sick hence, those that have insurance should not have to pay for those that don't. Men don't get breast cancer, shall we slap a giant tax on bras to cover the cost because women are a burden on the healthcare system because of their tits? I don't smoke but I see smokers as the last legally discriminated group in America.
That's exactly my point. We don't get to pick and choose those taxes that we can pay but the gov't picks and chooses those they want to screw with an added tax and justify it through health care costs. They only reason they get away with is because smokers are outcasts and there is no public outrage.