Because SandyB, when you have the state's coffers relying on revenues from tyrannical taxes imposed on users of a legal product, those users are either going to obtain said product from either out of state or thru the blackmarket. When that happens, as it is going to, your state will now claim that those lost revenues actually resulted in $...xxxxx.xxx increase to your state budget but due to whatever reason, we now find it necessary to raise the taxes on Gas, income, or whatever they deem accessible......
In other words, their failure will once again be turned into a financial victory with the assistance of a willing MSM........
Funny how some people on "our" side think, eh?
Well, first of all, the black market is illegal, and most people are just not going to break the law.
secondly, most users WILL keep buying cigarettes in the state,and pay the higher tax.
Thirdly, what few people will buy out of state, then so be it. If the state of Kentucky thinks it can make more money by taxing cigarettes at a lower price, and making it up on volume, then so be it. It is like air line tickets, there are a hundred different prices, everybody pays a different price. Some people get really cheap rates from the internet, and others, still pay the high price from the airline.
I really dont think too many people will not pay the high price, because those people long ago started rolling their own and pay no tax - but there are only so many of those kinds of people(people against any tax). There are basically 2 kinds of people : those who dont want to pay any tax, and those who will pay whatever the state says - esp if it is for a good cause - like schools, etc. There are really not very many people in the middle.