New Cigar Tax in Pennsylvania
From Cigar Aficionado:
The governor’s budget plan calls for a first-ever tax on premium cigars of 3.6 cents a stick. Coupled with the recent renewal of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, taxes on a single cigar in the Keystone State could jump from 5 cents to roughly 43 cents per cigar.
It’s being sold as one of those “sin” taxes. Let me translate what a “sin” tax is:
- A way for politicians to increase their power.
This is what politics is all about. People need to realize that once smoking is eventually banned (and it will be) the politicians will put non-smokers in their cross-hairs. It might be in the form of another “sin” tax, maybe on fatty foods or something else health related. And what really scares me the most is universal health care.
Whatever name it comes under, universal health care will be used to ram through whatever nanny-staters want in the name of “prevention.” See, if you couch new laws and regulations in certain ways almost no one can be against them.
Once universal health care comes about there will be a need to ration health care. The easiest way to do this is by prohibiting people who do something evil, like smoking or being fat, from getting access to health care. If you don’t live the life the government wants you to leave you will get left out.
If you view taxes on smoking as something that is good just wait. You’re next.
New York: A Cigar Smoker’s Hell
As I have been hearing from other cigar smokers on Twitter and through their blogs (HERE) New York’s Governor Paterson has just launched a broadside against everything from health clubs to cigars. Here’s the gist: NY spent itself into a hole and now they are going to tax a bunch of things more so they can dig themselves out of their hole.
From the NY Daily News:
Paterson then sought to minimize the aspect of his budget proposal for which he has received the most criticism: The multibillion dollar package of new and increased taxes and fees on everything from downloading digitial music and films to sugary drinks, malt beverages and cigars.
“We found a lot of little taxes that are optional,” Paterson said. “In other words, people can stay away from these items and don’t have to pay the tax to try.”
Something tells me this line of reasoning is not going to go down well.
Something tells me that Elizabeth Benjamin, who wrote this piece, is right. Eventually cigar smokers and everyone else who gets nickel and dimed by taxes, which is everyone, will get sick of this and do something about it.
Watch Out! They Now Want to Tax “Little Cigars” to “Protect” the Children
Here’s the first rule of social crusading: MAKE IT ABOUT THE CHILDREN.
That’s what was going on with S-CHIP a year ago and that is what is behind this newest assault on a legal product that we all enjoy – cigars. Here’s the gist of the whole thing from California’s Modesto Bee:
The packaging is pretty and the product sounds tasty, even a little wholesome. But inside the brightly colored wrappers that tout an assortment of flavors such as vanilla, strawberry and peach are cigars and cigarillos — and, according to public health advocates, a not-so-subtle strategy to target young people with cheap, candy-flavored tobacco.
“They do not see these little cigars — because of the candy flavor — as smoking,” said Debra Annand, director of health education services of the American Lung Association. Even worse, she said, is that federal regulations define cigars in a way that allows tobacco companies to escape the steep taxes that have been levied against cigarettes in recent years.
Health advocates know that smoking habits, particularly among adolescents, are affected by cost.
“It’s like gas prices,” said a 17-year-old girl smoking outside Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Va., recently. “When they go down, you get excited.”
Now a move is under way by public health advocates to push back against cigar usage by taxing some cigars like cigarettes.
The Modesto Bee – Big taxes don’t touch little cigars
The logical thing to do would be to prosecute retailers or others who sell to minors (and the minors themselves) if you wanted to stop children from smoking tobacco products. But no, that’s not their goal.
The goal of the anti-smoking lobby is to eventually outlaw all tobacco products. Like the neo-prohibitionists they are, they can’t stand the fact that some people are just not as “smart” as they are and don’t see the obvious pitfalls of smoking. These people are fascists (and yes, the Nazis did have anti-smoking laws).
How much blood do these vampires want? Again, from the Modesto Bee:
Federal excise taxes amount to 39 cents on a pack of 20 cigarettes, while cigars are taxed at a maximum of 5 cents each, according to Art Resnick, a spokesman for the tobacco tax bureau.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has urged states to consider taxing all tobacco products to bring them in line with cigarettes. Ten states have imposed taxes that treat some cigars like cigarettes, the Cigar Association says.
In May, Baltimore City Health Commissioner Joshua M. Sharfstein proposed banning the sale of single, cheap cigars. Noting that cigarettes must be sold in packs of 20 and cost as much as $5, Sharfstein would require Baltimore merchants to sell cigars in packs of five or more, with the aim of discouraging young people from trying the cheap nicotine hit of a single cigarillo.
The Modesto Bee – Big taxes don’t touch little cigars
And don’t think that this is some kind of end-game either.
“If [outlawing the sale of single cigarillos is] implemented, it’s not going to be a miracle fix of the problem, not by any stretch. But it’s a component,” the health commissioner said.
The Modesto Bee – Big taxes don’t touch little cigars
Get ready because all of this is coming to a head very quickly. Once we get nationalized health care and the health of every last person in America is under the management of our government more draconian restrictions will be passed. I can now easily imagine a day when all tobacco products are outlawed in this country.
Scary.
Australia Heavily Taxing Cigars and Hurting Cigar Smokers
Here's the image from the guys at Cigar Rights of America.
I’m sure that many of you have heard about the group Cigar Rights of America. They are a bunch of cigar lovers, including some of the biggest names in the industry, who are going around trying to fight for the rights of cigar smokers everywhere.
Why?
I’m glad you asked. Here’s the answer from CRA’s blog:
Australian cigar writer Samuel Spurr reports on the impact of taxation and legislation on the Australian cigar industry.
“The Australian cigar community faces some of the most stringent government legislation and taxation in the world. It continues to push ahead though, despite such intervention. Current American freedoms must be appreciated and fought for, for the sake of fellow cigar lovers around the world. The threat posed by anti-smoking groups and government taxation and legislation must not be slept on.”
Imagine a government tax of US$122 per pound of tobacco. Attendees at events such as Cigar Aficionado’s ‘Big Smoke’ and the IPCPR’s annual trade show can no longer enjoy cigars as smoking is illegal at all indoor venues. Tobacco advertising is banned, and manufacturers cannot sponsor corporate, community or sporting events. Cigar enthusiasts cannot light up in their favourite cigar shop, whilst smoking at some public parks and beaches is banned.
This is not an imagined scenario for Australian cigar suppliers, retailers and consumers. This is current state of tobacco taxation and anti-tobacco legislation and all involved with premium tobacco have had to deal with such government taxation and legislation for the better part of the last 20 years.
