Higher Cigarette Taxes Drove Smokers To Pipe Tobacco & Cigars

The Consumerist ^ | 4/18/12 | Chris Morran

[SoFloFreeper]

Among the intended goals of higher taxes on cigarettes is that some smokers will quitrather than dealwith the increased cost. While this may happen, newly released numbers show that taxing cigarettes also drove up the sales of forms of tobacco that are taxed at lower rates.

The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) of 2009 increased and equalized federal excise tax rates for cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, and small cigars. It also increased the tax rates on pipe tobacco and cigars, but not to the levelof theother items.

[Vaduz]

Wonder how much taxes pot users pay.in Ca we have thousands of such shops.

[Beagle8U]

I just buy it at any local tobacco shop/cigar store.

They all charge about the same prices.

It will be labeled ‘pipe tobacco’ but it is the same thing as the cigarette tobacco before the 2,200% tax increase put on by Obumbles in 2009.

You are paying extra for nothing but the wording on the bag by buying cigarette tobacco now.

[Beagle8U]

No, it's taxes. Obumbles raised the tax on cigarette tobacco 2,200% as soon as he took office.

But the tax on pipe tobacco didn't go up much. Today people buy their cigarette tobacco in a bag labeled ‘pipe tobacco’, but it is the same damn thing.

[libertarian27]

I was responding to a poster who was paying $45/lb for smooth pipe tobacco - that’s too much of a retail mark-up - I pay around $14/lb...well, unless that posters state tax on pipe is through the roof.

I have some tinned AS cigarette tobacco pre-SCHIP - it’s STILL good!

[Beagle8U]

Wow, I misread that, he did say pipe tobacco!

I have never heard of anyone paying close to that much.

I can buy a couple brands for just under $12 a pound at several local stores.