I wonder what he’ll raise taxes on after he has effectively put an end to smoking in his city?
This is a problem municipalities all across the country are facing.
If you recall, the first cigarette taxes enacted after the tobacco settlement in he 1990s were targeted to pay for health costs related to smoking. The argument was that as people quit, health costs would decrease and the taxes would no longer be necessary.
Then it was discovered that A.) smokers don't really cost more in health care (in fact, it can be argued that by dying earlier, they actually cost less) and B.) there's a HUUUGE windfall of money coming in that demands to be spent!
And everyone wanted a piece of that windfall.
It wasn't long before tobacco taxes were funding a myriad of social programs that have nothing to do with smoking, and still needed to be funded as smoking rates decreased. And that's where we're finding ourselves now, and why New Yorkers are paying $13 for a pack of cigarettes.
The answer is right there in the article: e-cigs.
So dangerous that they must be taxed! /s
Fyi: other “dangerous” nicotine delivery systems include tomatoes, spinach,and green peppers.