Posted on 11/12/2017 8:27:54 AM PST by oh8eleven
For 2015, the most recent reporting year, the state lost $1.63 billion because of untaxed sales, according to figures released by analysts for the Tax Foundation.
City officials say they are aware of the huge extent of the illegal sales, but defend high cigarette taxes as saving lives. Money, money, money ...
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Bingo.
I know you’re being sarcastic....let me add some color....government is probably the best example of “hypocrisy” outside of Hollywierd. They want you to “quit” smoking, but need the taxes so subsidize the tobacco industry farmers from time to time and charge a fortune in taxes on the products. They want you not to “gamble” illegally, but want you to play the lotto. 100 years ago they wanted you to stop drinking alcohol, but probably the largest portion of cost on a bottle of booze are all the taxes charged on them. It goes on and on. People are economic beings; where ever the price of a product can be purchased for less (including taxes paid on those products) you have a market. Thank the Lord there isn’t enough policing agents (ATF was created for that reason at the Federal level) to enforce the madness.....for now.
They are the highest taxed, so....
When driving into Illinois from Kentucky, you’ll see road signs telling you that ‘smuggling’ untaxed cigarets is a crime. I’m sure that lots of vans going north to Chicago are full of them.
Bloomturd created a new income for organized crime.
The state did NOT “lose 1.63 billion dollars. If the cigarette tax were lower the smuggling would be less.. That 1.63b was not there to lose in the first place.
This is not ‘news’, since it was known throught the “Tri-State Area” as such, in the 1980’s!!!!
buy something sold at any store in NJ or CT and bring it back. suddenly its value increases 200x. Drive half a day out to VA and back. you’re at 300%.
who’d a thunk it that smuggling would happen?
this is more profitable than reselling drugs
“The state did NOT “lose 1.63 billion dollars.“
No more calls, folks. We have a winner.
L
High taxes on cigarettes did to working class consumers what prohibition did to their grandparent’s alcohol habits. Large scale smuggling much of it by organized crime and street gangs naturally followed. Now as in the time of prohibition the politicians get their cut. However it should be noted that cigarette consumption as had actual alcohol consumption during Prohibition, has actually declined.
Now all the vans are going to Indian casinos to get cigarettes without any taxes at all, and you can get them in every state that has a Rez.
Ah, “the law is an ass” principle at work.
Not surprising with the prices of them, as they are most likely the highest priced p[ace in the whole world for cigarettes.
Remember that big heavyset guy the NYC cops strangled til he had a heart attack a couple of years ago? The whole incident started because he was selling single cigarettes out on the sidewalk.
Of course, that will only encourage "competition", and hence the resulting "hub".
Exactly. The government thugs enforce these laws and it kills people.
“Remember that big heavyset guy the NYC cops strangled til he had a heart attack”
They all had their hands around his throat? No,I certainly don’t remember that. Do you have a link?
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