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.

[self_evident]

You don't have to get in your car. There are plenty of sources on the web and they deliver to your door.

[A CA Guy]

I heard Davis wanted a billion dollar tax. This way he could balance the CA budget shortfall with ten packs.

[Centurion2000]

The sky is the limit. Why stop with tobacco? How about a $3.00 tax on hamburgers? or, fries? Why, before long we'll be worse off than those people in Russia

I'm starting to think that we already ARE worse off than the Russians.

[primeval patriot]

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

Herb, pull your head out. There's going to be plenty of smokers not paying your prohibition tax.

Hezbollah and various domestic gangsters thank you in advance for the millions your legislation will bring them.

Hell, you may even get a lucrative kick-back out of this.

Thanks Herb!

[SheLion]

Just received email this morning that this is going to be put on the back burner for now:

We're off the hook on this - for now. Since the Repubs refused to go along, the idea has been dropped, as has been a proposal to tax ammunition. I heard the news on the Brian Wilson show this evening on KSFO 560 AM SF.

[Landru]

"Wesson's [(D)] proposal also includes a handful of other tax hikes..."

The Golden Staters love their 'Rats like no one else; except perhaps, those of the Big Apple.
Interestingly enough?
It's the smokers who're living in those two places who'll be paying dearly for this unwavering devotion.

As of yet anyway, it'd appear the smokers have yet to figured out which of the buggers are to blame, too.
Which says a lot seeing how we are speaking about a person's legal habit? [read: addiction]