House votes to crack down on tobacco black market

AP ^ | 5/21/09 | NA

[Drango]

Sometimes I think you actually want a nation full of addicts.

Are you an tax cheat, or just do you just like pimping death?

[SaraJohnson]

Careful you don’t fall off that soapbox. You are like a...liberal! Nanny Drango.

[elkfersupper]

Unfortunately for them tax cheat isn't a conservative value.

The founding fathers of this country were tax cheats.

It is one's patriotic and economic duty to minimize tax impact.

There is nothing stopping you from paying more taxes than what your overlords say is due from you.

[elkfersupper]

Sometimes I think you actually want a nation full of addicts. Are you an tax cheat, or just do you just like pimping death?

I prefer addicts over bureaucrats.

I also prefer terrorists over bureaucrats. The terrorists just kill a few of us and leave a mess for the rest of us to clean up.

The bureaucrats fight on through generations.

[gidget7]

Isn't it though?? Unbelievable. If govt doesn't want folks smoking or breathing the so called second hand smoke, they should ban tobacco altogether. But, no no that will never happen. Even though MOST smokers are from poorer segments of our society, and shopping around is the American way. But that would stop the cash cow from producing for their coffers. By the govt’s way of thinking, if one lives on or close to a border and visits across states lines, they should not buy tobacco there, because the taxes are lower. INSANITY! Why on earth would people, especially in a down economy, NOT shop around.

I don't smoke, but I know a lot of people that do, and I would think they were pretty stupid if they didn't shop at the stores with cheaper prices, regardless of the products they buy. How is that any different? They say it's a sin tax, well how bout we start taxing Homosexuals for their life choices, due to how much they increase the health care costs in the US?? If you are going to drive one industry out of business for being a “sin” tax them all out of existence.

[gidget7]

By your definition, I, by not buying anything taxable at all, unless it is an absolute, am a tax cheat. I am avoiding, purposely! sending any taxes I can avoid to the govt, state of federal.

So I am a tax cheat. I shop at the places that sell in bulk, so I further minimize my tax input. And I will continue to!

[Doe Eyes]

Marijuana is illegal...

Your problem is you think the only rights/freedoms we have are those allowed by the Government.

You think your right to smoke tobacco is only a right until the Government passes a law making it illegal.

I think the Government is denying the people their rights/freedoms by making smoking illegal.

[jjm2111]

Oh please. I’m no smoker and anybody can see that cigarette taxes are very punitive. The gov’t has created this black market w/ their punitive taxes on smokes.

[Bokababe]

"Oh please. I’m no smoker and anybody can see that cigarette taxes are very punitive. The gov’t has created this black market w/ their punitive taxes on smokes."

Actually, there's only so far that they can go to hike cigarette taxes before it stops generating them cash. So then it becomes a question of what's next?

Looks like it will be hiking alcohol taxes. They'll start raising alcohol taxes until they can't do it anymore, too.

Then I suppose Drango will be calling anyone who complains about excessive alcohol taxes, "a drunk".