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Tax on Cigarettes? How About Tax on Alcohol?
By Deb Bloom of Gimme One of Each
On February 4, 2009, Congress enacted, and President Obama signed into law, a 62-cent increase in the federal cigarette tax, along with increases in other tobacco taxes, to fund expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The federal cigarette tax increased to $1.01 per pack on April 1, 2009. OK, I'm a smoker. I have only smoked for approximately 15 years, starting (like an idiot) when I was 30 years old. I was going through a divorce and trying to get through nursing school with 2 little kids and there you have it. Stress level was high, my girlfriend smoked and I got hooked because it calmed my nerves. Well, now, although I want to and need to quit, it just isn't that easy and it really pisses me off that the government is ultimately forcing me to quit. Although when you look at the Cigarette taxes per pack per state at the link below, you'll see quite a difference from state to state. Why? Aren't kids as important in the states paying a lower tax? I'm sure the higher cost of a pack of cigarettes has reduced smoking. People says it saves lives, no argument there. But lets take into consideration the other stuff that is harmful to people that isn't getting a big fat tax increase like alcohol. What about all the people killed by DUI's? That's a pretty controversial subject, right? At the current cost, cigarettes are approximately .60 cents each, depending on the state you live in. That makes a pack of 20 cigarettes cost $6.00. Now let's look at beer. A bottle of beer in most establishments right now (in my little town anyway) costs about $2-3. Why not add $1.01 tax on that? Yeah, so when you're slamming down a beer after work, you're paying about $4-5 per beer and if you buy a six pack to go it's gonna cost a whopping $30.00! Isn't that fair? Isn't there a LOT of deaths from DUI's? What about poor eating habits that cause high cholesterol, Hypertension and obesity and can ultimately cause heart disease and other health issues? Maybe we should tax fast food hamburgers and french fries so it costs about $50.00 for a Happy Meal. Smoking isn't the only thing in this world that causes health issues and I feel it shouldn't be the only thing taxed to death.
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Contributor's Note
I wrote this intel because I'm tired of the tax and the unfairness of it.
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http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/245.html
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I live in New York State -almost $8.00 per pack.
I loved your thoughts on this, and I'd like to make my own little libertarian addition. My biggest problem with the tax (like almost all taxes) is that it's a form of social-engineering -the Federal Reserve (the "government") is telling us what we are ALLOWED to do. They were also talking about a tax on sugared beverages too (soda). "Representatives" my AZZ! King George would be so proud of these scum. Mishio Tsenaka
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The thing is, in most countries, you -are- taxed for alcohol. You say a beer costs roughly $2.50 where you live. Probably $2 of that is in fact tax. I don't think smokers are treated unfairly compared to drinkers. I agree that if smoking a cigarette is wrong, drinking a beer is wrong as well. However, I feel anyone should decide for themselves what they want to do with their lives. Jaap Haagmans PS: if a cigarette costs 60 cents, 20 cigarettes don't cost $6.00 ;)
I don't smoke but found your pro-smoking intel refreshing. I think it's astonishing how, in the West, smokers have undergone a radical change in social status, from suave and urbane to outcast pariahs, almost overnight. It's quite frightening.
 | | nick Oct 10, 2009 12:14 | |
You make a good point, especially regarding alcohol. Both Cigs and alcohol endanger not only the person who chooses to use them, but others as well. (assuming of course, that the person who uses alcohol does so to an excess)It's the ever present dilemna that seeks a balance between the personal and broader social needs. I guess it's similar to when the laws requiring seatbelts and then airbags went into effect. These laws didn't single out anyone but the issue of control was there. There weren't taxes enacted, but significant fines, and supposedly, an increase in the price of vehicles were the result. There's been a huge decrease in deaths due to head on collisions and so forth...is it worth the loss of the personal freedom? I think so, but certainly I wouldn't want to see too many laws nor a tax on every possible vice. IS there a GOOD way to tax??
Re: "IS there a GOOD way to tax??" Thanks for Asking! I think that FairTax.org looks pretty good for many reasons, but mainly because: #1- It doesn't "punish" people for working.
#2- It takes social-engineering out of the tax system.
#3- It eliminates the unconstitutional Federal Reserve, thus, preventing them from getting paid interest on our labor.
Mishio Tsenaka
Actually, I have read a bit about the Fair Tax concept previously..from what little I know it does sound preferrable to our current income tax system.
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This intel was contributed by Morganna
Morganna
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