Posted on 05/05/2015 8:33:31 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
Stepping up pressure on the California Legislature to raise the tobacco tax, a coalition of health groups said Monday it will begin circulating petitions to put an initiative on the November 2016 ballot to hike the levy on cigarettes.
The initiatives would raise the tobacco tax by $2 per pack of cigarettes to raise $1.5 billion annually for smoking prevention and smoking-related medical costs now borne by taxpayers through Medi-Cal, the state's healthcare program for the poor.
The filing is by the group Save Lives California Coalition, which includes the American Heart Assn., American Lung Assn. in California, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the California Medical Assn., SEIU California, the California Dental Assn., Tobacco Free Kids and Health Access California.
One version is for combustible cigarettes and the other would also extend the tax to include electronic cigarettes if the state follows through with a current proposal to label them as tobacco products.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Just as in NY, if this passes the black market will boom.
Agree and why not place the same taxes on pot?
Only liberal morons, I repeat myself, buid whole entitlement programs based on the taxation of a product they are working at light speed to illiminate! I am amazed every time Californians are conned into taxing tobacco users “for the good of the children” but never wonder what will happen when the tobacco is not there to be taxed down the road, like an entitlement program has been ended...............ever!
They need the money to pay benefits for all their illegals.
And they STILL don’t have any water.
The real reason why tobacco gets bad press.TAXES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If tobacco products were as bad as advertised then the state would ban such products.
“Just as in NY, if this passes the black market will boom.”
Indeed. Tobacco revenue will actually probably drop. But that’s not the real point, now is it? The real point is that the legislature can pontificate and pretend it’s engaged in good works, all the while knowing everything they do is a sham and that the media will aid and abet their fictions.
I just wish someone would get a carbon credit removal petition/prop for the voters to reject this stupid tax we are paying on gas. Gas is getting up to 4 bucks a gallon again. Wait until the price of a barrel of oil goes back to 100 bucks! Gas will be 7 to 8 bucks a gallon!
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