Senate Bill S. 1490; Tax increase on cigs

American Conservative Union ^ | September 26, 2003 | ACU Action Alert

[CSM]

The Senate will soon be asked to vote on S. 1490, a bill sponsored by Senator Mitch McConnell, that if passed, attempts to impose a new $13 billion tax on tobacco manufacturers. Worse yet, Senators Judd Gregg, Ted Kennedy, and Mike DeWine plan to introduce legislation granting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) complete authority to regulate all areas of the tobacco industry. The mark-up of this bill will take place in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee within the coming weeks. Should the FDA bill be considered on the Senate floor, the McConnell tobacco quota buyout bill will be offered as an amendment.

Passage of these bills will burden lower and middle income Americans with one of the largest tax increases in the last decade, cost hundreds and perhaps thousands of jobs in economically depressed areas, exacerbate states' budget shortfalls, and stifle legitimate competition to the benefit of one market-dominant company, Philip Morris.

Dating back to the 1938 Agricultural Adjustment Act, government limits tobacco farmers by quantity and geography through quotas and a system of price supports that guarantee minimum prices for tobacco. But under the proposed bailout legislation, quotas would be eliminated and tobacco manufacturers would be forced into paying "farmers" anywhere between $11.4 billion to $15.7 billion, depending on the manufacturer's market share – the greater the manufacturer's market share the more the manufacturer pays. However, the vast majority of quota holders are not actually farmers. Rather, 85% of recipients simply own "quota." In fact, quota owners outnumber farmers by about four to one. These non-farmers are due to receive nearly $6 billion.

Compared to other commodity programs, the tobacco quota buyout is far richer. The average payment to tobacco quota owners under the proposed buyout will be more than 307 times higher than the average payment to any other farmer in the United States.

It's 12 times higher than peanuts, 137 times higher than corn, 167 times higher than wheat, and 1,467 times higher than soybeans. We're turning to you--our ACU Actionnet Army of Activists--to stop this bad legislation in its tracks. Type your zip code in the box above and urge your two Senators to vote "NO" on this legislation that would enrich only a handful of individuals and companies, most of whom do not even grow tobacco.

[Conspiracy Guy]

You tease.

[CSM]

All of the puff list is awaiting her story to rile us up!

WHERE IS IT! She must be stuck in the store restocking after the weekend!

[SheLion]

..........and when I come back I'm going to be posting an article that will probably get a lot of fur flying and tempers flaring.

Can't wait!!!! :)

[SheLion]

McDonalds serves McFlurry's. I wonder if they taste like cigarettes and beer with just a hint of Jim Beam.

One can only hope! Heh!

[SheLion]

To all the smokers, keep on puffing and do it as tax free as you can.

Thank you!

[SheLion]

they call these unfortunates "dry drunks".

[SheLion]

All of the puff list is awaiting her story to rile us up!

I KNOW it! I left for an hour and I'm STILL waiting. ~sigh..........

[CSM]

She must have a lot of restocking to do! Well, time for a smoke, I'll be back!

[SheLion]

She must have a lot of restocking to do! Well, time for a smoke, I'll be back!

hehe!

[Gabz]

The nonsmoker is lazy but not in the way you think. They are lazy because they don't want to face the rude and inconsiderate behavior of smokers head on, they rather hide behind the gov't to do it.

You have no clue whatso ever what I think, because you choose to not pay attention to what I have said countless times about the laziness of non-smokers.

Non-smokers are too bloody lazy to speak with proprietors about changing their policies. They would rather have the government hold their hand and do it for them.

That's is all I meant, no more and no less.

[Gabz]

I'm working on it.

Just as I was about to hit the post button the dog pulled the plug on the computer. Actually she crawled under my desk trying to hide from the puppy and hit the switch on the surge protector.

i'm working on it - I really am.

[Gabz]

alright you three, here.

[CSM]

Thanks. Those pesky animals can cause havoc can't they?

[Conspiracy Guy]

If they want to capture the essence of Flurry, that has to be it.

[Pagey]

I hope Mitch "I am a weakling" McConnells kids (if he has any) grow up to be Men, not the kiss_ss that their father is and has always been. If for any reason he comes to California, he should be Freeped and I'll be the first to light up and blow smoke in his face as he gets out of his car, which is still public space in Calif.

[Severa]

I was waiting for someone to post something about McConnell. Makes me wonder how well this is going over in my home state of KY, which he happens to 'represent' (and it's only like the 2nd or 3rd largest tobacco producing state in the US)

[Great Dane]

If you hate smokers so much, WHY do you continue to hang around them? Why?

Little minion needs to feel superior, this is obviously the only way he obtain this lofty ideal.

[Great Dane]

Actually she gave me a choice. Sex whenever and wherever I wanted or smoke whenever or wherever I wanted. I haven't craved a cigarette since.

If you were really smart, you would keep your private problems...... private, all you manage to do when you tell us about them, is to give us a good giggle.

[VRWC_minion]

If you were really smart, you would keep your private problems...... private, all you manage to do when you tell us about them, is to give us a good giggle.

Glad to add a nicotine stained smile to your face.

[Great Dane]

Glad to add a nicotine stained smile to your face.

So sorry to disappoint you, I do not have nicotine stained teeth or nicotine stained fingers....... my doctor is disappointed as well, keep asking me if I wear gloves when I smoke.