[Gabz]

Nanny State PING!

The law of unintended consequences.........

[bfree]

Funny, everyone with a brain knew this would happen. Unfortunately, the do gooders are lacking a brain.

[SheLion]

Just check out how much Michigan is losing or going to lose since they want to ban smokers and tobacco so much!  The lawmakers can't have both.  

Michigan Information

Tobacco Taxes

Michigan's excise tax per pack of cigarettes: $2.000
Michigan's excise tax collection for the
fiscal year ending June 2002: $584,605,000

Sales tax on tobacco products: 6.00%

Federal excise tax per pack of cigarettes: $0.39
Total federal excise tax collections in fiscal year 2002: $7,512,700,000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comparing Excise Taxes on Cigarettes, Beer and Wine

Number of six-packs of beer that must be sold in Michigan to produce the same state excise tax revenue generated by one carton of cigarettes: 66.7

Number of bottles of wine that must be sold in Michigan to produce the same state excise tax revenue generated by one carton of cigarettes: 74.2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michigan Smokers' Contributions to the State Economy - FY2003

In 2002, Michigan smokers comprise only 24.2%1 of the adult population in the state. Here is what they already pay because they choose to buy a legal product:

Smokers Pay Excise Taxes2
$ 828,678,000


Smokers Pay Sales Taxes2
$ 151,785,000

Smokers Pay Tobacco Settlement Payments3
$ 317,444,000

TOTAL $ 1,297,907,000

Just check out how much Michigan is losing or going to lose since they want to ban smokers and tobacco so much!  The lawmakers can't have both.  

Michigan Information

Tobacco Taxes

Michigan's excise tax per pack of cigarettes: $2.000
Michigan's excise tax collection for the
fiscal year ending June 2002: $584,605,000

Sales tax on tobacco products: 6.00%

Federal excise tax per pack of cigarettes: $0.39
Total federal excise tax collections in fiscal year 2002: $7,512,700,000
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comparing Excise Taxes on Cigarettes, Beer and Wine

Number of six-packs of beer that must be sold in Michigan to produce the same state excise tax revenue generated by one carton of cigarettes: 66.7

Number of bottles of wine that must be sold in Michigan to produce the same state excise tax revenue generated by one carton of cigarettes: 74.2

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michigan Smokers' Contributions to the State Economy - FY2003

In 2002, Michigan smokers comprise only 24.2%1 of the adult population in the state. Here is what they already pay because they choose to buy a legal product:

Smokers Pay Excise Taxes2
$ 828,678,000


Smokers Pay Sales Taxes2
$ 151,785,000

Smokers Pay Tobacco Settlement Payments3
$ 317,444,000

TOTAL $ 1,297,907,000

[Kenny Bunk]

We take you back to those thrilling days of yesteryear: Russia, 1914
The Czar bans vodka drinking. "Yo we gotta war on, we gotta be serious. No more drinking. Ya got that?"

Unfortunately, the tax on vodka was the Czarist Government's major source of income. Things went downhell from there.

[CSM]

Thanks for the ping. From the article, “The 2007 Legislature passed bills to use extra money from the tobacco tax to boost spending on education, cut local property taxes and support health care for poor people.”

At least they don’t even pretend it is about health care costs caused by tobacco. In addition, some of the follow up comments are dispicable!