Posted on 07/18/2002 6:59:33 AM PDT by itzmygun
A new cigarette tax has some Pennsylvania residents filtering across the state line in pursuit of cheaper smokes.
On Monday, Pennsylvania's cigarette tax jumped from 31 cents to $1 a pack, making it the sixth-highest state cigarette tax in the United States. Before the tax hike, Pennsylvania was ranked 33rd.
With the new tax, prices now run to $4 a pack and $40 a carton.
Pennsylvania lawmakers say the tax hike is expected to bring in millions in revenues and help cut smoking rates.
So far, it has angered scores of Pennsylvania smokers who are now buying their smokes in West Virginia, where the cigarette tax is just 17 cents per pack, 83 percent less than Pennsylvania's. Only eight other states tax less than West Virginia.
A few miles from the state line, at the Dairy Mart on U.S. 119 in Canyon the Pa. action has lit up cigarette sales, said Rebecca Ward, assistant manager.
"I served one woman today who drove an hour to buy two cartons," Ward said. "She said it was well worth it."
In West Virginia, prices hover around the $2 mark for generics, and $3 for brand name cigarettes. Cartons range from $17 to just over $30.
Another smoker, Mark Graham, of Point Marion, Pa., had a shorter trip. Graham stopped at the same Dairy Mart to pick up a carton of Marlboro Lights for his wife and saved a cool $10.
The middle-aged Graham said he's been smoking since age 9, and he doesn't plan to quit anytime soon.
"Back when they were going to raise the price to $2, I said I was going to quit smoking," he said. "But I'm still smoking. I like to smoke. Even after a heart attack, I'm still smoking. It's the only bad habit I've got."
Others smokers have been hitting Cottrell's Country Store, just up the road from the Canyon Dairy Mart.
Store Owner Frankie Cottrell, who said he already gets a big chunk of business from Pennsylvania patrons, said he's seen a slight increase.
But Cottrell said the hike won't boost his profits significantly.
At G.J. Food Service, or Route 857 Service, in Haydentown, Pa., Manager Lisa Falkenstine said smokers flooded the store to stock up days before the tax went into effect.
"We're hoping smokers won't quit smoking," said Falkenstine, laughing. "But I think we'll see a drop in cigarette sales because we're so close to West Virginia."
Ron Rae, who owns Tobacco World in Uniontown, Pa., said it's too early to tell how much of an impact the tax hike will have on businesses in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Rae said last week's massive sales are still ringing through Pennsylvania stores.
"Just about every place in the state had its highest cigarette sales ever," Rae said.
With the new prices, Rae may never see last week's numbers again. But other types of tobacco -- smokeless and cigars -- remain at the same price. Little cigars such as Swisher Sweets, Winchester and Captain Black come in packs of two for less than $2 -- hal f the price of a regular pack of cigarettes.
But Rae said smokers' tastes vary.
Rae's afraid some smokers might try to steal cigarettes in response to the hike.
"One of my friends had their car broken into recently," Rae said. "He had a computer in the car, but instead, the thief took a carton of cigarettes."
Rae believes that lawmakers target the cigarette industry because it's a money-maker.
They also don't understand the addiction that smokers struggle with, he said.
"Politicians don't want to be within an arm's reach of my customers," Rae said. "Fayette County is the most depressed county in the state. I've had customers pay me with handfuls of pennies. There's no reason to target these people.
"We're dealing with addiction here. Sugar's addictive, and bad for you. The same with fatty food. You can't find one thing that's good for you."
Rae said non-smokers could suffer from the hike, too.
"The tobacco industry supports 3 million employees," he said. "This could lead to people getting laid off. I make a pretty decent living, but now I will have to pay $7 per carton. It will all trickle down."
One Morgantown business owner wants to prevent West Virginia from following suit.
Mark Hyken, who owns the Den on Willey Street, near the downtown WVU campus, has drafted a petition, just in case, to thwart lawmakers from targeting "working class, blue collar" people.
The petition, addressed to members of the House of Delegates from Monongalia County, reads, "We as voting citizens are completely against any increase in state cigarette taxes. We feel that this increase would clearly be a targeted tax increase toward the working class, blue collar workers, and union workers of the state. Please do not support this."
"This gives people an opportunity to make a difference in their fate," said Hyken, a non-smoker. "That's why we're doing it. We try to be a service for the people."
Hyken said he hopes to distribute petitions to other areas in Morgantown. He said he's contacted cigarette wholesalers, who agreed to help in the cause.
Well, maybe celery.
Cheap Cig Buyers Beware (hysterical, threatening bleating from enraged tax-collector)
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