Rolling smokes burns up less cash (increased cigarette tax in Pennsylvania)

Press Enterprise ^ | 1/4/2004 | MICHAEL LESTER

[Born Conservative]

By rolling his own cigarettes, Charles Fox of Washingtonville pays 80 cents every time he smokes the equivalent of a pack.

Fox has been rolling his own for about a year and a half, ever since the state nearly tripled to $1 its tax on packs of cigarettes.

"It was the cost," Fox explained as he walked up Main Street in Bloomsburg puffing a hand-rolled smoke and carrying a 53/4-oz. can of tobacco.

That tin of tobacco, which included 200 rolling papers inside, gives Fox the equivalent of a carton of cigarettes — 10 packs of 20 cigarettes — for about a quarter of the cost of a carton of name-brand smokes like Marlboro.

Fox saves even more because he smokes his homemade cigarettes without filters.

Fox said the tin of tobacco cost him $8 versus the $30 or so he would have otherwise spent on a carton of Winstons, the brand he smoked for 15 years before starting to roll his own.

Eight dollars wouldn't even score Fox three packs of name-brand smokes at a store.

And that's before the state's tax hike of 35 cents on packs of cigarettes kicks in.

The tax hike will raise the price of a pack of Marlboros at Puff in Bloomsburg from $3.59 to $3.94, said Darlene LoDuca of Puff.

Packs only

The tax hike applies only to packs of cigarettes. It does not apply to the tins of tobacco that hand rollers like Fox buy, according to Don Zech, owner of Covered Bridge Smoke Shop in Bloomsburg.

Whenever the cigarette tax goes up, Zech said, he usually hears from a couple of fed-up smokers considering a switch to the cheaper roll-your-own method.

"I'll get calls again, no doubt," Zech predicted.

Inevitably, Zech lamented, he will stock up on rolling machines, cigarette tubes and filters, and the callers never show up to claim the equipment.

"After the initial shock wears off, people go back to buying packs, and I end up with inventory," Zech said.

It's easier to buy a pack of smokes than to roll your own, Zech theorized.

Kits save, too

Zech sells roll-your-own starter kits that contain a rolling machine, tubes, filters and six ounces of tobacco.

At $24.95, the kits give smokers the equivalent of a carton of cigarettes at a fraction of the cost.

After that initial investment for the rolling machine, Zech figures it would cost a smoker about $19.75 to buy the equivalent of a carton of cigarettes from his store: $2.95 for 200 cigarette tubes with filters and six $2.80 one-ounce packets of "high-end European" tobacco.

It's cheaper to buy a larger quantity of tobacco like the tin Fox buys.

Jump to generics?

Zech suggested that some folks will switch from brand-name to generic smokes when the new tax kicks in.

"I tried generic for a while," Fox said. "They burn real fast. So, you're spending just as much."

Besides paying less to maintain his habit, Fox figures going filter-free is healthier for him.

"There's a stronger nicotine content, so I'm good for a longer time — about 11/2 hours," Fox explained.

[Born Conservative]

The Pennsylvania cigarette tax went up another 35 cents this week in order to "cover the increased costs of doctors' malpractice insurance". I'm a non-smoker, but I think it's wrong to raise this tax to cover something not directly related to smoking.

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[JOHANNES801]

The gov. should stop trying to change behavior eith taxes.
By the born I think I might have met you at a black powder shoot some years back.There arent too many male nurses in this area.

[Theresawithanh]

Raise the price of a pack of smokes from $3.59 to $3.94? Here in the SF Bay Area, we can pay $4-5 for a pack of the main brands. Lots of people have switched to the generics, but I don't particularly like them.

I think part of our cig tax goes to anti-smoking programs for kids. I guess that's a good enough thing.

[suzyq5558]

my husband and i were just looking at the roll yer own kits yesterday. we are considering it. i had been ordering smokes online but it takes up to two weeks to get them and they burn lickity split so ive not ordered any since before christmas. if you buy a pack around here they are about 4.00 a pack.

[abigkahuna]

Really? I just paid 28.99 for a carton of Camel Wides up here in Butte County==Gas is usually 20-25 cents a gallon cheapper than in the Bay Area too.

[Jeff Chandler]

When I was a teenager, we used to roll cigarettes with a "Laredo" kit. They weren't too bad, and they were a lot cheaper.

I also remember my Grandpa back in Erie rolling his own cigarettes. He made his own wine and loaded his own shotgun shells, too.

[Danette]

allnative.com

Smokin Joe Ultra Light 100's

$11.?? a carton. UPS to ya within 3 days.

Been buying them from there for six years.

[Chris Tucker]

If states would CUT the cigarette taxes they'd get more money. RAISING the tax does nothing but decrease revenues and create an alternative market, such as the roll your own smokes method.

[lmr]

http://www.stuffyourown.com
No I don't work or own this website, just trying to get you on the path of liberation. :-)

[I_dmc]

If you want to discourage an activity, tax it.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Don't be silly. As soon as the legislature realizes this is the case, they will tax the roll your own method too. It's for the people afterall.

[Mark]

1,000 % increase on gun purchases, beer,liquor, meat, SUVs, etc should hit enough "ok, I don't smoke anyway " Nazis that the light bulb finally comes on.

[Orangedog]

If you want to create a black market in something, tax it to death.

[yankeedame]

If you want to discourage an any legal activity, tax it.

(Remember, where there's a buyer there will always been a seller. To organized crime this is shaping up to be 1920's all over again.)

[suzyq5558]

I'll check it out thanks:)

[Prodigal Son]

I roll my own. Been doing so for about 4 years now. No kits or rolling machines or any of that. Just shag and rolling papers. It kind of gets to be part of the ritual of smoking after a while. It's neat too to be able to roll a cigarette of the size that you want. For instance, if I only have a minute to take a couple puffs, I can use less tobacco and roll a slim little cigarette. If I want to sit there for ten minutes and smoke, I can roll a gangster sized one.

I find now too that I don't like the taste of factory cigarettes any longer. They're too dry. I prefer the rolled up ones now. And I don't smoke as often with my roll-ups as I did when I smoked 'em out of the package.

And of course, I save oodles of money.

[Bonaparte]

I've been doing the same as you for about as long -- except I use the filters and one of those simple plastic rollers. Crank out the whole pack in about 10 minutes each morning. But I know what you mean about the hand-rolling ritual. I have a friend who does it that way.

[carlson]

I started doing this a year ago, 2 bux for a package of tobacco/50 papers. No more 5 dollar packs (the taste is also way better) I also hear that Cook County (IL) is raising the cig. tax another dollar per pack.

[Tamzee]

PA resident here that quit smoking a week and a half ago... The high cost and still rising taxes were definitely a factor!