Cigarette sales drop in months since July state tax increase

courier-journal.com ^ | 20 November 2002

[SheLion]

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The number of packs of cigarettes sold in Indiana has dropped by millions a month since the state's cigarette tax increased in July.

While state officials say they are not sure why sales have dropped by more than 15 percent, anti-smoking advocates hope it means more people are kicking the habit.

[SheLion]

While state officials say they are not sure why sales have dropped by more than 15 percent, anti-smoking advocates hope it means more people are kicking the habit.

WRONG!!

''We're not certain what is happening,'' Cathy Henninger, a spokeswoman for the state revenue department."

ROTFLMAO!! Doesn't know what is happening??? DUH!

Dear Cindy,
You don't know what is going on? How about Internet Sales, the Reservations and Rolling Our Own? Dear Cindy, when you raise a legal commodity's taxes through the roof, it's the American Way to shop cheap! You shot a gift horse in the mouth, dear Cindy!

and

Smokers United

[SheLion]

CINDY DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. HEH!

[SheLion]

[E. Pluribus Unum]

People who stop smoking to deprive the government of revenue should be prosecuted.

[SheLion]

This has GOT to be the best article in the year 2002! LOL!

They raise cigarette taxes through the roof, smokers are going someplace else to buy cheaper. "They" think it's because people are quitting. And yet, they bellow that they aren't raking in that money! Go figure.

See how "they" talk out of both sides of their mouths???

[SheLion]

People who stop smoking to deprive the government of revenue should be prosecuted.

Well! If people stop smoking or buy elsewhere, the state is not going to get the money to "balance their darn budgets!" No way!

[Marie Antoinette]

Good grief! Totally clueless! LOL!

I'm not a smoker, but my folks who live in the Chicago area ARE smokers, and I can tell you they used to buy their cigs in Indiana sometimes because they were so much cheaper. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Gazillions of people from IL would regularly cross the border to buy cigarettes. No incentive for them to buy in IN anymore.

Cathy Henninger, what a MAROON!!

[SheLion]

Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Gazillions of people from IL would regularly cross the border to buy cigarettes. No incentive for them to buy in IN anymore.

Cathy Henninger, what a MAROON!!

Isn't this a hoot! DUH!

[Mind-numbed Robot]

The higher cigarette tax, however, has not brought in as much money as state officials had expected because of the decline in sales.

Is it possible that if they lowered taxes the government might bring in more money? How novel! Someone tell Arthur Laffer about this.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

That was black humor. There are probably people in government who feel that way.

[SheLion]

What amazes me is: if everyone DID stop smoking, it sure would put a lot of health fanatics out of work. The Tobacco Settlement they are feeding at would go away. So they say they want us to quit, in their teeny tiny little voices. Yes. Right!

NOT! They are all liars and dreamers.

[Just another Joe]

She, while it's true that it hasn't brought in as much as they EXPECTED, it has still, basically, tripled the tax that the sales DO bring in.
We who know need to find some better way to get the word out to those who still don't know about the cheaper alternatives.

Any ideas anyone?

[SheLion]

That was black humor. There are probably people in government who feel that way.

Oh I know, I gotcha!

It's just mind boggling the mentality of these people.

[Snuffington]

The higher cigarette tax, however, has not brought in as much money as state officials had expected because of the decline in sales. ...

Lisa VanPelt, the Bloomington coordinator of tomorrow's Great American Smokeout event for the American Cancer Society, said she hoped the lower cigarette sales meant fewer people were smoking.

I love the unintentional conflict when the left raises taxes like this. On the one hand they want to discourage the behavior. On the other they count on it remaining stable, so they can depend on increased revenue. Someone eventually needs to decide which goal they're truly trying to accomplish.

[SheLion]

We who know need to find some better way to get the word out to those who still don't know about the cheaper alternatives.

I'm with you, Joe! We paid the high taxes for a long time before I got in with the smoking Internet crowd and found out about rolling our owns. It took years, though.

I wish there was a way we could get the word out NOW to everyone who still enjoys smoking cigarettes, a still legal commodity. Wish someone could have a brain storm and figure it out how we can do this.

[D-fendr]

All the state has to do is raise the tax to $60 million a pack.

Then - if just one pack is sold - they get double the current tax revenue.

(Unless, of course, some unexplainable thing happens.)

[Catspaw]

''There are a lot of theories. They could be buying them out of state or over the Internet.

Ya think?

[SheLion]

I love the unintentional conflict when the left raises taxes like this. On the one hand they want to discourage the behavior. On the other they count on it remaining stable, so they can depend on increased revenue. Someone eventually needs to decide which goal they're truly trying to accomplish.

Exactly, Suffington! Just like the Cash Cow Cartoon up above. Just like that!

[SheLion]

Then - if just one pack is sold - they get double the current tax revenue.

(Unless, of course, some unexplainable thing happens.)

LOL!!!!

Someone should send this thread to sweet (DUH) Cindy! heh!

[SheLion]

Ya think?

This has got to be the news article of 2002! LOL!