N.Y. Suit Against Internet Cigarette Sellers Dismissed, but City Can Refile
Also, is there a federal law that allows the states to interfere with interstate tobacco commerce?
To the best of my knowledge, no. NYC is trying to make their OWN laws regarding Internet sale of cigarettes.
In reality, NYS is trying to set it's own laws on all internet sales.
While filing out your NYS Income Tax form, you are asked if you have ever made any purchases online.
It isn't just cigs they are trying to collect taxes from.
This is nuts, if true. If states don't have federal authority to block interstate commerce, then what Spitzer is doing is unconstitutional. State and local officials can be prevented from enforcing these sorts of unconstitutional laws via suits in federal court, can't they? Are there any such suits in the works that you know of? And where the heck is Congress on this anyway?
From the article:
His office has also recently begun negotiations with credit card companies to block transactions of online cigarettes. These efforts were given added push recently as local officials from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives met with credit card executives to alert them to the various ways in which these transactions are illegal.
What various ways are the transactions illegal? I don't follow this subject much, so pardon my ignorance.
I'm about to read your link now. Thanks.