Smoke ‘em if you can afford ‘em ($10 per carton tax increase)

A new federal tax recently approved by President Obama has increased cigarette carton prices by more than $10 - about 75 cents a pack.

The tax was passed in January as part of a multibillion dollar package to provide health care for children and certain legal immigrants. Local tobacco users and dealers admit the cause is admirable, but said the tax is unjust.

“There is about zero common sense or logic in this whole tax,” said David Roth, owner of Tobacco Alley in Somerset. “It is a revenue stream that has been drying up for years.”

Cigarettes are not the only tobacco product with rising prices. Roth said bagged tobacco will be increased by $25 a pound.

The tax becomes official in April; however, retailers said that manufacturers have already increased their prices to prepare for the hike. As a result, prices in stores started going up on Monday.

“The more you raise taxes on this product, the less money the government is bringing in,” Roth said. “That many more people are quitting or going to the black market.”

U.S. Rep. John Murtha voted for the tax to help bring health care to 11 million children, including 227,000 in Pennsylvania, according to a prepared statement from his office.

“The CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) improves both the health and chance for success of these children, and it saves us money by reducing costly emergency room visits which have come to supplement primary care,” Murtha said.

Alice Holler, a smoker from the Meyersdale area, said she doesn't have a problem with helping children. But coupled with the state smoking ban, Holler said smokers are being hit too hard. The ban started in September and prohibits smoking in most public places.

“I feel they should start taxing something else instead of cigarettes,” she said while walking along West Main Street in Somerset on Thursday. She suggested levying a tax on alcohol instead.

Sheetz waited until Wednesday to raise its tobacco prices. Lou Sheetz, vice president of marketing, said tobacco sales equal about one-third of their in-store business.

“The tax is excessive,” he said. “The money will be put to good use, I am sure. It will be a burden to that (smoking) portion of adults.”

Sheetz said customers usually blame the retailer for price increases. But when it comes to taxation, Sheetz said, their hands are tied.

“It isn't real until it hits, and it hit us,” he said. “Now we have to pass it on to the customer.”

I beg to differ, Drango. I am as conservative as they come, and I smoke. I am 65, started when it was “fashionable”, and do not think one’s political views have anything to do with one’s personal choice to smoke.

Did you know that smoking reduces your chance of getting Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by 50%? My mom (non-smoker) died of Alzheimer’s last year. My beloved husband (non-smoker) now is dying of Parkinson’s.

I view all smoking “statistics” with suspicion. What demographic were these studies carried out on, have these studies ruled out “correlation” so that they are sure of “cause and effect”? Have they ruled out genetics?

The WHO ruled out second hand smoke being a factor, and why doesn’t that study get published? True conservatives take a look at the basic information, assess their individual risk factors, and make a decision based on their own circumstances.

I have no desire to live to be 100. I am just doing my part to save social security for those of you who do.

Did you know that smoking reduces your chance of getting Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by 50%?

As I've said many times....If you believe smoking is good for you, tell lots of people. It's a winning strategy in the smoking wars. (I'm sorry to hear about your mother and husband. My MIL has Alzheimers and it's rough on everyone)

Drango, I do not tell other people how to live their lives, and I want no part of the smoking wars.

I am sorry about your MIL, because I just buried my mother. It was a long, hard, depressing, and exhausting decline. Now I am the sole caretaker for my beloved husband, and facing it all over again.

I am pretty depressed, as you can imagine. Smoking helps alleviate the tension, the stress, the anxiety, and the frustration I often feel. I am sure there are drugs I could take, but rolling my own, up until now, has been cheaper and healthier than the drugs pushed by the different big pharma groups.

What would you prefer I use, considering that I have to be on duty 24 hours a day?

I read this story on that DUmb website. You know the one. The whole “soak the rich” crowd. The ones that want to raise income taxes on the rich to 50 or 60 percent. I like going there sometimes just for the fun of it. Also like posting to stir up the pudding.
About 60% of the people there are complaining about the higher taxes and are talking about getting taxes shipped to them from overseas so they won’t have to pay the higher taxes, even if it means they will cheat that healthcare system that they want to put in there. I’ve made several posts pointing out the hypocrisy of the whole thing. Some guy was talking about finally being about to justify buying Cubans because of the higher costs...
This was my response:

“What would you say if you heard about a rich person that hid his money in an overseas account that the IRS couldn’t touch? Would you say that he was guilty of a crime? Would you say that he was a selfish asshole because he didn’t want to pay his fair share for the services that he enjoys in this country and should be charged and sent to jail for tax avoidance/evasion?
This isn’t just directed at you. Just anyone that wants to raise income taxes on some people to 40 or 50% but not pay their fair share by smuggling cigarettes from overseas.”

I know there is no sport in finding hypocrisy among the left. But it is sure fun to point it out.

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