I’ve used every bridge in St. Louis and southward to Cairo and never noticed. I will watch more closely next time.
The place where I buy my cigarettes (in Missouri) has a sign up limiting purchases to 5 cartons. It’s a joke and the owner says “buy all you want”.
I live in central Illinois and my brand, regular Winston sells for about $34 per carton here. In Missouri I get them for about $23 per carton.
Two summers ago I was in St. Maarten and bought 10 cartons for $10 apiece. That shows how much tax there is on Cigarettes in the U.S.
There was a 2 carton limit on bringing them back to the U.S., I didn’t know it at the time but no one checked my baggage on reentry, so I got away with it.
My friend in Missouri informs me that the major credit card companies are cooperating with various states, reporting out of state customer purchases of alcohol and tobacco, so I always pay in cash.
Two tears ago, I got a form with my Illinois state income tax forms, asking me to voluntarily report any tobacco purchases made in other states and to pay the difference in Illinois tax. I tore it up and they didn’t send me one this tax year.
Make sure you watch on how you use those cig coupons that may have your name on them. They leave a trail also that can be linked back to you and where you are buying your smokes.
Dang, you guys have the ammo ID thing too, don’t you?
I’ve found a new “cheap” brand that I can stand called, get this, “Tough Guy”! They are made in Armenia and I get them for under $14 a carton at Dirt Cheap. They are pretty crappy but at least they aren’t flavored which a lot of the discount brands are, to cover up the fact that they are made with floor sweepings, I guess..lol.
The next time I visit my buddy in Collinsville I’ll watch for that sign I saw. Maybe I can get a pic, it would be fun to have, for the record.