Buyers Off The Hook on Online Cigarette Taxes (WI)

Madison.com via AP Wire ^ | July 22, 2005 | Ryan Foley

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Have at it! ;)

[EagleUSA]

** tax, tax, tax, tax **

[Moral Hazard]

Moral of the story? If you buy cigarettes on-line, buy them from another country and have them imported. Either that, or just buy them from an Indian reservation. Or from the mob.

[dhs12345]

Let me guess:

One of those have it both ways Democrats...

"Cigarettes are bad for you and we should punish the cigarette manufactures, but we don't want people to stop smoking because it means lost tax revenue."

I think they are called hypocrites.

[BlackbirdSST]

Let me guess: One of those have it both ways Democrats... "Cigarettes are bad for you and we should punish the cigarette manufactures, but we don't want people to stop smoking because it means lost tax revenue." I think they are called hypocrites.

That's hardly limited to Democrats. Blackbird.

[exnavychick]

Here's one for the puff list!

[Gabz]

I'm so glad you didn't ping me to this one, my FRiend.....I weighed in on the issue earlier..........and now I've taken some pain killers........not a smart time for me to get into the issue........if you know what I mean :)

[dhs12345]

Then why is it that I am always hearing Democrats whine when cigarettes aren't being taxed?

Every couple of months, I hear or read about some liberal Democrat complaining that cigarettes are being smuggled across the Canadian border or people are buying them on reservations, or now that people are buying them via the Internet.

It never seems to be a Republican who is whining about people not paying enough taxes.

[SheLion]

I'm so glad you didn't ping me to this one, my FRiend.....I weighed in on the issue earlier..........and now I've taken some pain killers........not a smart time for me to get into the issue........if you know what I mean :)

I know.  We discussed this at length today.  I didn't know what else to say.

Have a pain free evening, Gabz!

[SheLion]

Here's one for the puff list!

We discussed this today already.  I think we are just puffed out on this one.

WI: Agency can't collect cigarette back taxes

[BlackbirdSST]

It never seems to be a Republican who is whining about people not paying enough taxes.

I don't have it at my fingertips, but recently read where DOJ is pursuing a multi BILLION dollar judgement against Big Tobacco for their "lies" of past. DOJ now being run by REPUBLICANS. FINES against Big Tobacco aren't fines at all to any thinking person, but yet another TAX on smoker's, again brought to you by REPUBLICANS! No, this circle jerk has plenty of participants. It matters not whether they sport a R or a D by their name, they are ALL without honor. Blackbird.

[Gabz]

Thanks, my FRiend. The pain meds do take the edge off the pain - but they also put an edge on my mood, so I need to be quite careful about what I say and how I say it.

I give you buckets of credit, SheLion - I'm having a hard time with just this one broken ankle - how you managed with both is beyond me.

[Gabz]

You are right about the taxes being brought about from both sides of the aisle.

The DOJ hands are tied in this litigation against the TCs.........neither Bush or Ashcroft were interested in pushing the issue that was started in 1998 (or thereabouts) by Janet Reno and so language was put into legislation, signed at the 11th hour by Clinton before Bush took over, mandating it be continued.

I'm not defending them, just making the record clear that it was not a Republican Administration that started this nonsense.

[exnavychick]

Oops!

I am about as sharp as a bowling ball today. Sorry!

[dhs12345]

I believe you. Is this to make points with Liberals?

Or maybe the companies lied and then it becomes a potential criminal issue.

[SheLion]

I am about as sharp as a bowling ball today. Sorry!

Hey! That's ok. I pinged you this morning after the thread was posted. I wondered where you had gotten off too. :)

[SheLion]

I give you buckets of credit, SheLion - I'm having a hard time with just this one broken ankle - how you managed with both is beyond me.

I lived in a wheel chair. Ugh. I developed some muscle in my biceps from pulling myself up and over a lot with my arms. It was great. LOL!

not

Just bare with it though.  Give it time to heal.  I wasn't able to and my feet never healed right.  But thank God, I can still walk on them.

[exnavychick]

LOL. I've been bouncing all over FR, and I guess all my ramblings on other threads pushed the ping from you down before I noticed it.

:) Or, I could just be a twit, LOL!

[SheLion]

LOL. I've been bouncing all over FR, and I guess all my ramblings on other threads pushed the ping from you down before I noticed it.

That happens to me, too.

Sometimes I am posting on 3-4 threads. After awhile, I don't know WHERE the hell I am. haha!

[thackney]

In Alaska, recent related news:

Online cigarette buyers must pay up, state says
TAXES: Smokers can buy cheap tobacco on the Internet, but now they owe money.

By LISA DEMER
Anchorage Daily News

Published: July 21st, 2005

The state is targeting more than 600 Alaskans who bought cheap, tax-free smokes over the Internet and demanding they pay the state taxes they skirted or else.

Letters went out this week telling the smokers that as long as they pay the tax they can avoid an even steeper penalty.

Ten online vendors have as required by law provided names of customers to state tax officials in recent months, said Johanna Bales, head of the state Department of Revenue's tobacco tax unit.

Names of about 635 people were provided by a single Internet vendor, www.esmokes.com, and the state is still working through lists from other vendors, Bales said.

"Dear Taxpayer," the letters begin. "Under state law, the Alaska cigarette tax must be paid on all cigarettes brought or shipped into the state. ... This law applies to cigarettes purchased by mail order, phone order or over the Internet."

People who don't pay the taxes face penalties that amount to significantly more money, Bales said. People who import untaxed cigarettes need a $25 license, and the fine for failure to have one is 100 percent of the taxes owed, plus up to another 25 percent for failing to file the taxes. A person shipping untaxed cigarettes through the mail can be fined another $5,000.

excerpt: continued at
http://www.adn.com/front/story/6730106p-6617729c.html