Posted on 02/16/2009 4:27:23 PM PST by TheSentry
_House Passes Senate SCHIP Bill;
President Signs Bill_
On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the U.S. House passed by a margin of 290 to 135 the U.S. Senate version of the bill to expand the
State Children's Health Insurance Program, (S.C.H.I.P.)...
President has signed the legislation into law.
Below are the final tax rates on cigarettes and tobacco products
that will go into effect on April 1, 2009 :
SCHIP Cigarette and Tobacco Tax Rates
Product Current Rates Through March 31, 2009 and Cigarette and Tobacco Tax Rate April, 1 2009 *
Pack Cigarettes:39¢ per pack$1.0066 per pack *
Large Cigars:20.719% of manufacturer's price;
cap of 4.875¢/cigar (to new rate of)
52.75% of manufacturer's price; cap of 40.26¢ per cigar *
Little Cigars:4¢ per pack (to) $1.0066 per pack *
Pipe Tobacco:$1.0969 per pound (to)$2.8311 per pound *
Chewing Tobacco:19.5¢ per pound(to)50.33¢ per pound *
Snuff58.5¢ per pound(to)$1.51 per pound *
Roll-Your-Own Cigararette Tobacco:
$1.0969 per pound (to a HUGE) $24.78 per pound
( a $2,244 % percent INCREASE ! ) *
Cigarette Paper:1.22¢ per 50 papers3.15¢ per 50 papers *
Cigarette Tubes:2.44¢ per 50 tubes6.30¢ per 50 tubes
(Excerpt) Read more at natocentral.org ...
Please notice that Pipe Tobacco now taxed $1.0969 per pound increases 258% to $2.8311 per pound and that
Chewing Tobacco now taxed 19.5¢ per pound increases 258% to 50.33¢ per pound and that
Snuff now taxed 58.5¢ per pound increases 258% to $1.51 per pound and that
AMAZINGLY
Roll-Your-Own Cigararette Tobacco: [which WAS taxed the SAME AS pipe tobacco] was taxed $1.0969 per pound
INCREASES to a HUGE $24.78 per pound
This is a $2,244 % percent INCREASE !
This Excise Tax increase is arbitrary, unfair, and unconstitutional as it TARGETS a MINORITY.
It VIOLATES the equal protection clause of the 14th AMENDMENT barring legislation resulting in obvious tax-targeting or unequal taxation of any minority group of citizens.
There is case law upholding the fact that legislatures are
without power to impose taxes arbitrarily,
or, as a "privelege tax" imposed upon a legal product
in excess of some reasonable "percentage" of an established
average "reasonable market value" of the
product being taxed.
FACT:The 14th Amendment HAS BEEN VIOLATED by the enactment of this SCHIP BILL into law.
Please write, call, AND e-mail your U.S. Senators regarding the unconstitutionality of this tax law.
MORE URGENTLY: PLEASE write to EACH member of the
U.S.Supreme Court demanding a ruling on this
obvious move by U.S.Congress and the U.S.Senate
to IMPOSE TAXES ON A MINORITY WITHOUT THE LEGAL CONSTITUTIONAL POWER TO DO SO !
The 14th AMENDMENT to the U.S. Costitution
was written for just this reason. Namely, to STOP political majorities in power from
usurping their tax imposing authority
capriciously, arbitrarily, and for the intention
or result of punishing, controling, or manupilating
the free market access of Citizens of the United
States to legally sold products and merchandise.
ANY Federal regulation of legally sold products
DOES NOT DIMINISH the 14th Amendment's application
and equal protection rights of free access to and freedom from
federal and legislative
hindrance to access to such products.
PLEASE, everyone reading this, tobacco consumers
or not, write in opposition to this VIOLATION of the U.S. Constitution's protection from UNFAIR
TAXATION.
THIS WILL BE A PRECEDENT-SETTING CASE.IF we allow TAXATION to used in this way,
in the near future, ANY OTHER PRODUCT,
soda-pop,candy,bakery goods,fatty foods,fast foods, alcohol,beer,wine,etc.,etc. CAN BE TARGETED
as "HEALTH-RELATED" and IMPROPERLY, then,
connected to further TAXATION "for your own good" in some politician's OPINION.
The reason for Gov't. tax authority was
NEVER INTENDED" to be used as a means
to CONTROL or MODIFY the BEHAVIOR of any
free American Citizen.
Taxation revenue collected by Government
is solely necessary because
it is REQUIRED to pay for the reasonable costs
of operating the necessary depts. of Gov't. and for Nat'l. Defense.
TAXING one group of Americans to "help"
ANY other group of Americans is UNCONSTITUTIONAL, PERIOD.
W R I T E:
Supreme Court Chief Justice: John Roberts
and other Justices:
John Stevens,Antonin Scalia,
Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Clarence Thomas,
Stephen Breyer, Sanual Alito, R. Ginsburg
ADDRESS LETTERS TO: Supreme Court Justice_________________
U.S. Supreme Court
1 FIRST ST. NW
Washington DC 20543
I wonder if “O” pays for his own 2 pack a day habit?
If you honestly think that The Nine Old Men (yes, Ruth Bader Meinhoff is among them) will stop this, then you’re foolishly optimistic. They want to eat lunch at the cool kids’ table.
You must also believe in fairy tales, like a constitutional republic.
Can’t we all just get together and toss it in the harbor?
ping
All smokers should refuse to buy any cigarettes on April 1st. Not one pack sold in the entire US for a day.
“Snuff now taxed 58.5¢ per pound increases 258% to $1.51 per pound and that
AMAZINGLY
Roll-Your-Own Cigararette Tobacco: [which WAS taxed the SAME AS pipe tobacco] was taxed $1.0969 per pound
INCREASES to a HUGE $24.78 per pound
This is a $2,244 % percent INCREASE !”
So what does that amount to per tin of dip?
Sounds to me like this bill favors producers of cigarettes over roll your own consumers.
that dosen't work for gasoline it wont work for cigarettes.
Nor will he have to battle SSDI WHEN his habit catches up to him either.
Yeah, he is a real piece of work alright.
I say tax the people with Small Children.
These nonsmokers dont give a crap what they do to us.
They are willing to cut their nose off to spite their face
I don’t smoke so they can tax it as much as they want; however, when demand drops off they are going to have a hell of a deficit. A lot of State tax revenue comes from the sin taxes. I guess they will just have to pick another popular consumable item to tax, like milk.....
Maybe they will levee a 2000% tax increase on your car next.
Doesn't matter to me, they can tax items all they want and I will choose to purchase the items based on the value I receive. When the cost exceeds my perceived value I will not purchase. If they want to destroy the car industry (not that the industry is doing this on their on)by adding more tax more power to them.
Sam Adams is rolling in his grave
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