Where There's Smoke, There's Congress

The American Spectator ^ | 1/22/04 | Lawrence Henry

[MoralSense]

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Where There’s Smoke, There’s Congress

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Published 1/22/2004 12:37:28 PM

Cigar smokers like me and Jed Babbin don't hurt anybody. We cruise along, enjoying our stogies at home and at smoke shops and at the occasional cigar banquet. Many of us buy our cigars by mail, saving as much as 100 percent over store prices for the same smokes. The mail order cigar market is served by three principal companies, Cigars International in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; JR Cigars (of Route 95 billboard fame) in Burlington, North Carolina; and Thompson Cigar Company of Tampa, Florida. All three publish colorful, witty catalogs that are lots of fun. These three firms, and others like them, will be put out of business at the blip of a legislative word processor unless public protest mounts fast. The Senate has already passed a bill denoted S1177, banning interstate cigarette and smokeless tobacco sales. At the last moment, on December 9 of last year, just before the measure passed, someone typed some extra words in the bill: "cigars" and "all other tobacco products." The bill has now moved to the House of Representatives as HR2824. Markup, originally scheduled for Wednesday, January 21, has apparently been delayed. There is just enough time to call or e-mail the appropriate representatives and try to have the "cigar" and "all other tobacco" language removed. The proposed law sails under the flag of an "anti-counterfeiting" measure, seeking to eliminate the sale of cigarettes without state tax stamps, or without a given local state tax stamp. The usual "for the children and teens" pennant flies just under that one. As always, follow the money. States and localities have raised cigarette taxes to astronomical levels in recent years (Nanny Bloomberg in New York City), creating (of course) alternate sources of supply -- including bootlegging. Elementary economics. Think Prohibition. Add to that the states' resentment of the tax-exempt status granted the Internet, and you set the stage. What happens here with cigarettes and cigars will happen, over and over again, with individual items that evade state sales taxes. The states, leaning on their representatives, want that retail tax cash. And they'll try to get it any way they can. Your favorite commercial website, whether for books, CDs, clothing, or cookware, isn't safe either. As the form letter provided by JR Cigars to its customers points out, there is no cigar counterfeiting problem, and no teen cigar smoking problem. The most likely reps to call on the House Judiciary Committee (where the bill is now) strike me as the ones from Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Florida, where the three businesses most affected operate. Those representatives are: Melissa Hart, R-Pennsylvania http://www.house.gov/hart (202) 225-2565 Howard Coble, R-North Carolina http://www.house.gov/coble howard.coble@mail.house.gov (202) 225-3065 Melvin L. Watt, D-North Carolina http://www.house.gov/watt nc12.public@mail.house.gov (202) 225-1510 Tom Feeney, R-Florida http://www.house.gov/feeney tom.feeney@mail.house.gov (202) 225-2706 Ric Keller, R-Florida http://keller.house.gov (202) 225-2176 I'm going to be on the phone to all of those offices today. I suggest you do the same. Lawrence Henry is a writer in North Andover, Massachusetts.

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[facedown]

The siege begins.

[facedown]

You guys know anything about this?

[Jackson Brown]

Many of us buy our cigars by mail, saving as much as 100 percent over store prices for the same smokes.

If you save a 100%, you get them free.

I don't think so.

[nothingnew]

PUFF!

FMCDH

[MoralSense]

Many of us buy our cigars by mail, saving as much as 100 percent over store prices for the same smokes.

Well, if I wanted to quibble, I'd say that mail order specials often include free cigars, but instead I'll confess: I was writing so fast I blew the math. I meant to say it the other way around. Cigars in stores can cost as much as 100% more than the same cigars by mail.

[Just another Joe]

Oh, so we only want to take out the, ""cigar" and "all other tobacco" language?
Isn't that just a little hypocritical?

[SheLion]

You guys know anything about this?

First I heard of this one.

[metesky]

You guys know anything about this?

First I heard of it.

So where was this a$$lipped bugger in the cigarette fight? Didn't we tell all these fools that their "nasty" habit would be next?

No sympathy here.

[Mears]

God,this is annoying.

The cigar smoking,brie eating,wine drinking yuppies want to be exempt.

Unbelievable.If I was a feminist I would say it was discriminatory since cigar smokers are mainly men,but since I'm an old fashioned girl I'll keep my mouth shut.

[CSM]

If they really support this, they should ban all interstate sales. No one should be able to make any purchase outside of their state of residence and avoid paying sales tax to their state.

Oh yeah, it is much easier to hammer 25% of the population and the sheep will go right along with it.

[facedown]

Bump to the morning crowd.

[steve50]

Oh, so we only want to take out the, ""cigar" and "all other tobacco" language? Isn't that just a little hypocritical?

Nah, the cigar smokers are in general a better class of people.

[tdadams]

Every once in a while, I enjoy a Punch London Club Maduro. I order them by the box from the above mentioned JR Cigars. They cost $27 a box. At the local retailer, They cost $55 after taxes.

This appears to me to be nothing more than a collusion between cigar retailers, who want to shut down competition, and legislators, who hunger for the tax revenue local cigar sales would bring.

Who's going to stop this?

[MoralSense]

I like Punch Rothschilds, but steer clear of Maduros generally -- a little too strong for me. My last call to a rep, to the office of the fellow from Florida, got a staffer who knew his onions, who said the offending language was not in the House version of the bill. That's not to say it won't end up in the conference committee version, but it's a start.