Posted on 06/06/2012 3:25:53 AM PDT by SoFloFreeper
The fate of California's controversial Proposition 29, a proposed tax on cigarettes, was still unclear early Wednesday.
By 3 a.m. (6 a.m. ET), 98.6% of the precincts had reported. The vote tally stood at 49.2% in favor and 50.8% against the proposed law that would raise taxes on every pack of cigarettes by $1, yielding an estimated $735 million a year for the state, election officials said.
About three-quarters of money raised would go to cancer research.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
RIIIIIGHT.
It’s ok to raise taxes on people you don’t like.
About 100% of the money raised would go to further building the nanny state.
Of course it would, just like the BILLIONS that the Tobacco Industry has paid the States in the Masters Settlement Agreement has gone to "Smoking Cessation" programs and to pay for the additional health care costs that smokers burden said states with....
...EXCEPT, that is NOT the case in ANY State; the majority of those funds have been co-mingled with General Funds never to see the light of day again other than to pay for ever more Social Programs which the States are saddled with.
“Thou Shall Not Steal.”
Except by majority vote? No doubt about it, the level of nuttery in this country doesn’t bode well.
I’m not understanding why this is too close to call. The tally so far is 50.8-49.2, which is a 1.6% margin. There are 1.4% of the precincts to count. What is the chance that the result will change? I realize that the probability is not zero, but it has to be very small. Maybe I could calculate it with a few more cups of coffee in me.
No property is taken without permission. It's all done by free choice as part of purchasing the cigarettes. There is nothing necessary about obtaining them to live and your addiction would be your own damn fault.
You’re likely right in an election with so many votes cast as this. It’s just an abundance of caution. Someone might find a box of ballots in a trunk. /s
You just can't make this shit up. I'm sure the estimated revenue doesn't take into account the thousands who will finally quit, or buy their cigs elsewhere (neighboring states or online) to avoid the tax.
Cancer research won't see a dime of the money of course.
Dont tax you, dont tax me, tax that fella behind that tree.
It's a sales tax. Want a 100% tax cut? Stop buying cigarettes. What a 50% tax cut? Buy half as often.
A sales tax is among the most freeing of the taxes because the consumer decides what to pay as part of their buying choices.
Want a soda, buy two.
The point: you missed it. It's not about cig tax...it's about piling runaway government spending on the backs of consumers. I'm a non-smoker just like you, but don't kid yourself...they will get around to taxing something you DO care about. Gas, alcohol, pensions (here in MI), raising license fees, and on and on. They won't cut into welfare though...that beast is well fed. Glad to hear you're perfectly content paying for it.
The larger point here, is that “democracy” is just two wolves and a sheep deciding what’s for dinner. There’s a reason why democracy is never mentioned in the constitution. The people who formed the government knew their history and specifically sought to preclude democracy.
The problem here taken to its logical extension - what would you think of a referendum where 51 per cent voted to take the other 49 per cent money and property and “redistribute” it?
See where I’m going with this? You’re way off base here.
So CA could be really free if they just triple their sales tax rate.
>raise taxes on every pack of cigarettes by $1, yielding an estimated $735 million a year for the state, election officials said.
What “election officials?” and what does an “election official” know about economics at all?
These morons sound like they went to Berkley and never heard of the Laffer curve, or the elasticity of market effects.
Oh, dude... LOL
Proposition - 29-Cigarette Tax - Ballot Issue
June 06, 2012 - 09:28AM ET
California - 21993 of 21993 Precincts Reporting - 100%
Name Votes Vote %
No 1,958,047 51%
Yes 1,894,871 49%
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