California speaker proposes $3 cigarette tax

San Jose Mercury News ^ | Aug. 06, 2002 | AP

[Schatze]

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson proposed Tuesday to abandon a plan to raise California's car tax and instead increase cigarette taxes to $3 a pack -- the highest in the nation.

"This tax is a voluntary tax. If you don't smoke, you don't pay the tax," said Wesson, D-Culver City.

[Great Dane]

Logic has never been a politician's forte.

[Schatze]

I think a lot of tax-paying, law-abiding citizens in California are about to become criminals, if need be.

Remember the colonists dumping tea into Boston Harbor to protest taxes? This time it might be Californians dumping Democrat politicians into San Francisco Bay. But hey, they'd be right at home among the sharks. ...

[Great Dane]

Funny, I never hear the pols proposing increased taxes on those who've contracted AIDS through risky sexual behavior or intravenous drug use. I guess the powers that be approve of those activities.

Only because they can't tax it.

[Schatze]

They could put special taxes on the prescription drugs used to combat AIDs.

But that wouldn't be PC, so the pols won't do it.

[Great Dane]

#40..... You forgot to mention higher primiums for obesity.

[Great Dane]

Glad I don't smoke. The way things are going, people are going to have tobacco gardens in their yards and make their own cigarettes.

Thinking seriously about it.

[Great Dane]

They could put special taxes on the prescription drugs used to combat AIDs. But that wouldn't be PC, so the pols won't do it.

Wouldn't work in Canada, as taxpayers are footing the bill to the tune of $20.000+ pr person pr year, our druggies are getting free needles....... only we as contributors to the economy.... GETS SCREWED.

[Great Dane]

Primiums=premiums......... Long day.

[Max McGarrity]

I LIKE it! Let's write that up and send it to the brain-dead lawmakers in Sacramento. Click on the link at the bottom of The United Pro Choice Smokers Rights Newsletter and WRITE these idjits. Also, check out RYO Magazine and look into making your own for $8/ctn!

[KevinDavis]

Your asking the government the impossible. Stop spending.

[ijcr]

How about a condom tax?

[Schatze]

Works for me!

[goldstategop]

Only the Rats here think a mix of tax increases, creative accounting, and deferred borrowing will help California turn a $24 billion deficit into an overnight surplus! And they have the chutzpah to think Republicans will along with what passes for a lack of common sense. Not to mention all those childish games of theirs in the Assembly trying to avoid dealing with the state's fiscal condition as it is. My take is different from Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson: yup, smokers aren't popular and if its a bad habit they should be taxed to the hilt. The problem with his prescription is that ironically we need to have enough smokers around to avoid our budget hole from getting bigger! And this is the epitome of liberal idiocy from the second most powerful elected official in this state. Bottom line: California is still a long way from the kind of budget Republicans here can support.

[Fraulein]

Egads! That's ridiculous! Last week in Atlanta cartons of Marlboros were on sale everywhere from $22.99-$25.99. In Nashville they are about $33.00 a carton, though at some discount tobacco shops you can find them cheaper.

[F.J. Mitchell]

BUMP!

[F.J. Mitchell]

BUMP!

[F.J. Mitchell]

I just hate to see Chicken sh*t politicians, (yes both parties have their little non-tax taxes, or fee increases) putting unreasonable taxes upon small groups of citizens, without enough clout to damage their political career. If the money is needed as badly as they pretend it is, they should have the guts to jack up the taxes on something that we all use-spreading the pain over everyone instead of the few and take their chances on being retired at the next election.

I firmly believe that the various governments should have to reduce their spending by the amount of their short fall in income, just as the over taxed citizens have to do when the government confiscates more of their money-might doesn't make right.

[F.J. Mitchell]

BUMP!

[self_evident]

Here in Michigan, the Republicans voted for 75 cent a pack jack in the cig tax. The Democrats were split even on it. It was then signed into law by the Republican governer.

And I'm now sitting here smoking Seneca brand smokes at $1 a pack.

... and I'll be sitting right here not voting come election day also.

[self_evident]

All American-made smokes are going to be around $30 a carton. The manufacturers are covered by the tobacco settlement. You can get name-brand European manufactured smokes at Swiss outlets (www.yesmoke.com) for about half that price. If you buy smoke from the Indians they are around $10 per carton. I bought from www.senecasmokeshop.com and they were on my doorstep in 3 days. I order from crsmokes 3 weeks ago and yesmoke a week ago and haven't seen anything from either yet.