[Just another Joe]

Following the law is "knuckling under" ?

At times, yes.
If the law said that you had to give 95% of your pay to the government and depend on them for your food, water, and sundries, would you "knuckle under"?

It's not the tax IN the state, Ray. It's the principle of paying an IN-STATE tax on something purchased OUT of state.

Have the state be consistent. If they are going to go after the sales, or use, tax for tobacco or cigarettes, go after it for EVERYTHING.

Otherwise stop demonizing smokers and leave them alone, stop trying to balance the budget on 25%, at best, of the population, stop being big brother and do the job of running the state in a financially sound fashion.
Going after these types of taxes on ONLY smokers smacks of a witch hunt.

[Raycpa]

At times, yes. If the law said that you had to give 95% of your pay to the government and depend on them for your food, water, and sundries, would you "knuckle under"?

But that isn't the case here.

It's not the tax IN the state, Ray. It's the principle of paying an IN-STATE tax on something purchased OUT of state.

This is well developed law. Just because you were not aware of it beforehand doesn't make it less legal or right.

Have the state be consistent. If they are going to go after the sales, or use, tax for tobacco or cigarettes, go after it for EVERYTHING.

They in fact are. There are many programs states use and are developing in order to collect sales tax as well as tobacco tax.

Otherwise stop demonizing smokers and leave them alone, stop trying to balance the budget on 25%, at best, of the population, stop being big brother and do the job of running the state in a financially sound fashion.

The politicians apparently found a group that accepts the tax because in general they do not change their consumption habits even when the taxes are extortionist. If the demand dropped then the taxes would also.

Going after these types of taxes on ONLY smokers smacks of a witch hunt.

Maybe to you but to the number crunchers at the state its a good return on investment and it is also a profitable way they see for testing out methods of collecting lesser taxes. If they work the bugs out of collecting the tobacco tax the can apply the same methods for the sales tax. The preceding isn't speculation by the way, I heard this given as rationale by state employees at seminars.