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You're missing the point, completely. The stated goal may be to eradicate non-taxed cigarettes, but the realized goal is to cut the State into the profits of smuggling via legal sanctions (ie. fines, asset seizure, etc).

The stated goal may be to eradicate non-taxed cigarettes, but the realized goal is to cut the State into the profits of smuggling via legal sanctions (ie. fines, asset seizure, etc).

Cigarette smuggling is a very old business in NY. If the realized goal is as you say it is, then it would be have been realized already, don't you think?

the realized goal is to cut the State into the profits of smuggling via legal sanctions (ie. fines, asset seizure, etc)

There has been some discussion of prohibition here and that is on point.

Outrageous taxes have many second and third order effects. In addition to the direct creation of roganized crime businesses there are others:

(1) Widespread disrespect for the law among otherwise law-abiding citizens.

(2) Significant new corruption among law enforcement officers at all levels.

(3) Encouragement of productive tax-paying and law-abiding citizens to move to lower tax states.

In many of the poorer areas of the state (including the city) many will gladly take the risk of smuggling in out of state cartons for their 'hood'. Alternatively they could set up an out of state PO box and a storage locker in Jersey, order huge quantities by mail or over the internet, and then drive them into the city at their convenience a couple of cartons at a time.

The lawmakers of New York will never see the revenue. What they will see is consequences that will be, at best, slightly negative and at worst, significantly destabiling of what passes for civilization in the Big Apple.

These taxes are stupid, and the politicians who passed them are dangerous to society.