[Just another Joe]

Everything is paid by the consumers - and tobacco companies can raise the price of their products at any time - Since the tobacco companies will not LOWER their prices now that they are not having to pay this part of the extortion, the money stays with the shareholders.

Many times, when a company is monetarily chastised by the govt, there are stipulations that the monetary cost of the chastisement must come out of the companies profits, shareholder or otherwise, and NOT be passed directly to the consumer thereby leaving the companies profits down.
The tobacco companies negotiated the MSA in such a way that they COULD pass the costs directly to the consumer, thereby leaving the companies profits exactly where they were BEFORE the MSA.
ANY costs that have been accrued for the MSA have come DIRECTLY out of the consumers pockets, not the companies profits.

You're probably right, the tobacco companies will not lower prices now that they don't have to fund the TRUTH^TM advertisements but that will just make the companies profits go up having no affect on the consumers price for the product OR the fact that the consumer is still directly paying the MSA settlement out of their pockets.

[RS]

"ANY costs that have been accrued for the MSA have come DIRECTLY out of the consumers pockets, not the companies profits."

I guess the only difference is that now the government itself will get a slice of this via corporate taxes on the money before it goes into shareholders profits.

tomAto or toMato - the consumers pay for it ALL ..costs, taxes,profits,lawsuits,settlements,donations,advertising,limos for the big shots...
ALL of it...