Posted on 03/31/2009 7:40:40 PM PDT by St. Louis Conservative
"I can make a firm pledge . . . no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase." Remember that? It was Barack Obama, campaigning to become president last Sept. 12 in Dover, N.H.
Indeed, he promised repeatedly that 95% of American families would get a tax cut. So it's especially fitting that he chose April Fools Day to implement his first tax increase -- which will fall mostly on individuals and families who do not make anywhere near $250,000 per year.
Early in February, the president signed a law to triple the federal excise tax on cigarettes -- which will jump from 39 cents per pack to $1.01 today. His administration projects this tax hike will bring in at least $38 billion over the next five years.
If you don't smoke, maybe you don't care. Maybe you even think a higher "sin tax" is a good thing. But health issues aren't the only concern here. There are also questions of fairness, federalism, macroeconomic impact, and crime.
The fairness issue is particularly troubling. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one in five Americans smokes, so the excise targets a minority -- and over half of all smokers are low income, and one of four are officially classified as poor.
Mr. Obama prefers to tout his tax cuts for low-income households. But his "stimulative" Make Work Pay tax cut gets dribbled out at $8-$10 a week. A pack-a-day smoker will pay half of that back in higher cigarette taxes. Smokers getting welfare, unemployment or disability checks instead of paychecks won't get as much in tax cuts, but they will still pay the whole cigarette tax increase.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I am poor?
Damn you Obama!
and we all know among the Obama demographic, given the choice between food for the kids and smokes for the mommies, there are going to be a lot of kids going to bed hungry.
and we all know among the Obama demographic, given the choice between food for the kids and smokes for the mommies, there are going to be a lot of kids going to bed hungry.
Roll you own tobacco goes up 2,200% to $25 dollars a lb tax.
“I can make a firm pledge . . . no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase.” Remember that?
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Like just another one of the uncountable liberal lies, get ready for many more. History has proven that honesty is not a liberal trait.
a post so important it needed to be made twice ...
sorry folks, I hit the enter button twice
Negative. They will tax YOU to feed the Chiluns.
The spending side for children's health insurance is an abomination and indefensible. It's a joke.
Maybe you even think a higher "sin tax" is a good thing.
I celebrate the tax on cigarettes going up. Bigtime. Thousands of people will quit and thousands of teenagers will never become addicts. That's a good thing.
“there are going to be a lot of kids going to bed hungry.”
“Negative. They will tax YOU to feed the Chiluns.”
Two words: Food Stamps!
The black market is about to go wild.
Which of course are paid for with MORE TAXES
Most will blame the tobacco companies for the price hike anyway.
For their entire lives, they’ve been told the cig companies are evil and Government is good. Why would government try to hurt them now?
/johnny
What’s your vice?
That may be the next thing hit. Coming at us fast and furious here in NY.
NOPE. Every tobacco shop in the country is making it clear that this is change brought by OBAMA
The carbon tax is going to hit them big time!
Real conservatives don’t support the addicting of teenagers. 90% percent all smokers start as teenagers.
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