Posted on 05/16/2004 7:28:19 AM PDT by Leisler
I don't smoke but I sympathize with smokers' complaints about the high taxes they're forced to endure.
Maine already has a campaign underway, with a huge increase in audits re the use tax.
If I'm not mistaken, just about every state with a sales tax has a companion use tax law.
It's only a matter of time before it becomes full-blown metastasized.
Well, that's one attempt more than most of have made.
Seriously, your real-life info will be a great tool, and I applaud you for making the effort.
It's not a case of "we will soon see" it has become a case of which one is going to do it next.
That's why so many of us roll our own! :)
It's an extremely inexpensive experiment.
Even before we planned to experiment with the tobacco we had planned to pay the guy to till up the area, so that cost can't be included in my cost for the experiment. And the cost of the book and tobacco seeds I ordered online was only $35 including shipping. That will easily be made up in not having to buy very much produce over the summer.
This particular area of the property hadn't been tilled in 3 years - to do it by hand tiller would have cost us a fortune in rental fees for the tiller, let alone the back breaking labor - so the 100 bucks we paid the guy to do it in about 2 hours was well worth it!!!!
And just like I'll cover the cost of experiment of the tobacco with my own veggies, I'll more than cover that. There are very few types of veggies that I don't bother planting and they fall into 2 categories - those that I don't eat or ones that are a pain to deal with.
I may even set up a table and road side produce stand. The gentleman we bought the house from told us that his dad, who built this house, had a very lucrative business selling his garden stuff until he became ill about 5 years ago.
It sounds like you're going to have a fun summer, Gabz.
But I hope you find the time to keep us all informed about your experiences. The growing is a mystery enough, but the curing is really a mystery, to me anyway. Hey, what do I know - I was raised in a Massachusetts mill town, we just grew weeds on vacant lots.
I wonder if it's even possible to grow tobacco in Maine, with its two seasons - "winter" and "getting ready for winter."
It's probably more a function of the soil conditions, because I've never seen tobacco fields interspersed with Maine "rock farms."
Signed, Ignorant About Growing Stuff.
Which book did you buy, so that I can get it and feel overwhelmed?
An Economics course should be mandatory teaching in high school.
I'm going to have a BUSY summer. Thank goodness my husband has not been on me to get a paying job!!!!!!!
the book is "Growing and Processing Tobacco at Home" by Jim Johnson. It can be ordered through seedman.com.
It is fascinating reading, because he intersperses all kinds of nifty trivia throughout it.
It's also very heavy into helping folks save money for the drying and curing processes and gives several different methods!!!!
As far as knowing anything, heck I was raised in NYC - and we know what that city grows...............
Every jurisdiction has different rules and laws about what constitutes quantity for "personal consumption."
Because of so many places instituting high cigarette taxes the states are falling back on the (used to be) rarely used Jenkins Act of 1953 which permits a state to collect it's state cigarette taxes from residents who purchase cigarettes from another state with a lower tax.
Walter E. Williams says we should love smugglers, that many of our founding fathers were smugglers.
Where can I get bootleg gasoline? Preferably unleaded.
If you can believe it, the increased tax was voted down. Even my non-smoking friends voted against it...they figured if cigs got taxed, beer, wine, etc. would be next.
Thanks for the info, Gabz
I believe your supposed to report your self. Although, I hear the schools are getting children to report mom and dad.
Common sense prevails in Missouri. They saw that train a comin', comin' round the bend.
Maine has a nifty little line in the state tax return, whereby they assume you owe use tax, and provide a handy little table based on your adjusted gross income so that you can turn yourself in.
The explanation goes something like, "you probably can't remember the exact amount, so just pay this anyway."
In the spirit of, "Confess, it'll go easier on you."
bloomy is indeed an idiot..every picture i have seen of him/her, it looks more like a big sissy every time.
if he/she/it really wanted to raise money on cigs, cut the tax to .05 cents a pack or .50 cents a carton...set up city owned and operated retail and internet outlets and ship nationwide...in short order he would have more revenue pouring into city coffers than he and 12 other socialist bastards like him/her could spend in a lifetime.
AND the white man could screw the indians 1 more time.
I aim to please!!!!
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