Posted on 09/25/2013 11:56:35 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
President Obama’s plan to raise the federal cigarette tax by 94 cents a pack would put 2 million low and middle-income kids through preschool, a new report has concluded.
Obama’s fiscal 2014 budget proposal calls for a near doubling of the tax, from $1.01 to $1.95 per pack, with the proceeds going toward an expansion of early childhood education. Taxes on other tobacco products would increase proportionally, bringing the estimated additional revenue to an estimated $78 billion over the next decade.
“Taken together, these two measures would help ensure a future of smart, healthy kids nationwide and in every state,” according to the report, released Wednesday by a coalition of nine public health and legal groups.
In the first year alone, almost 335,000 children from low and moderate-income families would gain access to high-quality preschool programs, the study found. By the 10th year, that number would rise to 2 million.
Less than half of the nation’s 4-year-olds are enrolled in public preschool programs, according to the study, which cites research showing that kids with access to early childhood education are more likely to go to college, be employed and live a healthy lifestyle.
At the same time, the groups contend that the higher tax would prevent 1.7 million kids from becoming addicted to cigarettes and, in the first year, prompt 1.57 million adult smokers to quit.
“This report should compel lawmakers to support the president’s proposal because it demonstrates the dramatic educational and health benefits children in every state would receive,” said Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).
But conservatives have criticized Obama’s plan, saying it amounts to a tax on middle-class Americans.
Formerly a smoker himself, Obama was overheard this week saying that he hadn’t had a cigarette in six years, citing health-conscious first lady Michelle Obama as the impetus for his quitting.
Just started growing tobacco this year. I hope they pay more for the raw product.
apillar: “All I could do was laugh and remind him he got the “change” he voted for...”
Obamabots never learn. Sometimes I think the best thing that could happen to the country is to let the left create their brave new world. The Obamabots will be some of the first ones to suffer.
Your street dealers will be switching over to untaxed tobacco just about the time pot becomes 100% legal.
Is this the president’s budget that was illegally late and dead on arrival.
This Nazi crap isn’t about “public health”. This is all about the commie ‘RATS’ greed for MORE OF OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY!!!! If this bull**** was about “public health”, the commies would just ban tobacco as they are trying to do with guns.
Only Liberals could say:
Taxes don’t discourage consumption, but taxing cigarettes does, HOWEVER - these specific new taxes on cigarettes won’t effect use and we’ll bet our education system funding on it.
Talk about smoking something...
He raised the tax on roll-your-tobacco by 2700% almost as soon as he took office.
Not many rich people roll their own, so that tax was totally directed at the poor.
Why don’t the freeloading parents of the “2 million low and middle-income kids” pay to put their own “kids” through preschool? This is BS communism.
No, it would not.
This is not an equitable tax as it will be a tax that targets groups that have the highest rates of smoking.
Those groups are minorities, the poor and the less educated.
There is no telling from how far up their asses these people pulled their numbers.
Personally I hope they tax the crap out of cigs. but politically it would reduce revenue so they should keep them where they are.
Suckers.
PreSchool is not the place for the country’s crumb crunchers. All day kindergarten isn’t either. Our children who have attended all day kindergarten were probably more hindered than helped by the waste of time. Our half day kindergarteners were happy, rested, and given a lot more personal attention than our all day-ers. And the half day-ers were able to happily participate in sporting activities. Our all day-ers are too tired and want to skip practices. That is not a good thing.
But this administration is so full of evil that it does not surprise me that they want to take children into state controlled incompetence.
Let's hope that today's Tea Party patriots win in elections against tax happy politicians.
This is the problem with you people: you never seem to realize that these busybodies will eventually come after something that you like.
Exactly.
However far you might think it was, it was farther than that...
Smokers are already heavily subsidizing state education budgets and they are funding the SCHIP program! Smokers should be given medals and smoking should be encouraged! Think of the revenue that could be raised “for the children.”
Personally, I hope they tax the crap out of something YOU enjoy.
but politically it would reduce revenue so they should keep them where they are.
WRONG - again. The taxes need to be cut by at least half and there will be an increase because the black market won't be quite so lucrative.
Its fo the chilluns to get them on the gov’t tit as early as possible -—pre-school with free breakfast lunch dinner for alls!
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