Rolled Gold: Taxing time for smokers/PA

mccall.com ^ | August 20, 2002 | Mike Wereschagin

[SheLion]

HARRISBURG | -- Smokers are taking up the old ritual of hand-rolling cigarettes and the new practices of e-commerce to get around Pennsylvania's month-old cigarette tax increase.

State officials fear the two options — one legitimate, one questionable — could shave millions of dollars from state tobacco tax revenue.

Pennsylvania tripled its cigarette tax last month to $1 per pack to help balance the state budget.

[Dakmar]

It is the invariable habit of bureaucracies, at all times and everywhere, to assume...that every citizen is a criminal. Their one apparent purpose, pursued with a relentless and furious diligence, is to convert the assumption into a fact. They hunt endlessly for proofs, and, when proofs are lacking, for mere suspicions. The moment they become aware of a definite citizen, John Doe, seeking what is his right under the law, they begin searching feverishly for an excuse for withholding it from him. - H L Mencken

[gridlock]

My Dad had a meershaum pipe carved in the likeness of his own head, glasses and all. It was great, because he would smoke the pipe and it would be like he was looking at you twice.

[Fresh Wind]

Expect to see a crackdown soon on sellers of rolling machines and papers as "drug paraphernalia".

[SheLion]

Reminds me of a sign I saw:

..."The Beatings will continue Until Morale Improves"!

[SheLion]

Expect to see a crackdown soon on sellers of rolling machines and papers as "drug paraphernalia".

I doubt it. Pot smokers have been selling their pipes and papers for years and years. And they are trying to legalize marijuana.

In fact, some states HAVE legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes. So, the papers and the pipes will remain.

The filtered tubes are perfect for smokers of regular cigarettes. And if they ever stopped the sale, there is always the underground. I would really hate to see it come to that. The Government’s Big Brother is a pain in the a$$.

[Mannaggia l'America]

At the same time inundate the population with the truly moronic “Compliance Alliance” campaign.

I have to turn the station on the radio every time I hear one of those ads. Not only are they moronic, they get me steamed because whoever wrote them (gotta be a lib) has to think that the listeners are total morons.

[monkeyshine]

yesmoke.com

$15 per carton, includes shipping.

Comes from a bonded warehouse in Switzerland. The downside is they are European blends of American brands, so not exactly the same as the US taste. But you can't beat the price. No taxes are paid, or required to be paid, on these cigarettes because they are made for export only.

[End Times Sentinel]

Not only are they moronic, they get me steamed because whoever wrote them (gotta be a lib) has to think that the listeners are total morons.

The phrase “embarrassingly stupid” does come to mind. So they’re goal in life seems to be “We don’t want to see young people hooked on tobacco.”? I swear, this campaign makes me want to stand out in front of the 7-11 and buy smokes for kids.

Owl_Eagle

” WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH"

[SheLion]

I swear, this campaign makes me want to stand out in front of the 7-11 and buy smokes for kids.

[Madame Dufarge]

Thanks for the quote from one of my favorite quotable people of all time.

[Dakmar]

You're welcome. Mencken was sure on to something with that quote, eh?

[Freemeorkillme]

Certainly not a puff piece!

Latest propaganda, IIRC, states will loose 4.1bil in revenue from on-line tobacco sales!

Be on the look out for Internet related tax bills which target smoking, whether it be buried in the bill or a direct assault.

[SheLion]

Be on the look out for Internet related tax bills which target smoking, whether it be buried in the bill or a direct assault.

It will take them 10 years. For one thing, they would have to go after every company that sells cigarettes over the Net. And it's easy to change names.

They can't just tax cigarettes without taxing everything anyone sells over the net. How about starting with online auctions? That alone would take them years and years to track down.

[oldironsides]

Rolling your own is practiced by the potheads and the local stores carry at least 10 kinds of papers. $1.69 to $1.89 and it's no big deal for kids to buy papers. PA adult smokers are too lazy to roll their own. Most addicted to tobacco at this end of PA. head for Delaware or Maryland. PA. owns all the booze stores in the state.
I do not know anyone that buys wine, booze or beer in Pa.
They just cross the border. Hike the tax and help another state. What else is new?

[Bob Mc]

"It's too soon for state officials to say, in dollars, how much Internet sales will swipe from tax revenue."

Interesting choice of word here. Internet sales will "swipe" revenue from the government? As in stealing?

Citizens modifying their purchasing behaviour to avoid ridiculous taxes are now deemed criminals. Seems to me the government is the one "swiping", with these outrageous taxes!

[SheLion]

Seems to me the government is the one "swiping", with these outrageous taxes!

Oh, it's ok for the government to take and take and take from us, but when we try to protect our hard earned money and buy cheap, then we become criminals. Nice choice of words they used, right?

[SheLion]

Come to think of it, shopping around for a better price is the American way. And just because we shop around for cheaper cigarettes, it makes us criminals?! This is absurb.

[Bob Mc]

"The practice is hard to trace, harder to prosecute and costs states billions of dollars in lost revenue."

Here's another interesting dilema for the "state". The cost and effort required to prosecute these petty "theives" (as the state would have it), and stop such tax avoiding sales, will cost them even more in lost revenue. So now not only is the state not getting revenue from taxes, the state will have to expend huge amounts of revenue to get their tax. Maybe this is a win situation for us after all!

Of course, this hasn't stopped the war on drugs. The state doesn't even get revenue from illegal drugs (well except for some confiscation) and they still prosecute the war on drugs.

I often wonder if it is not about revenue at all, but about power and control. Perhaps this is about finding justification to attack one of the newest enemys to nanny state, the Internet!

[SheLion]

Perhaps this is about finding justification to attack one of the newest enemys to nanny state, the Internet!

You know, parts of the Government have been trying for several years to get their nose in on the Internet. I bet they have people working overtime trying to figure out how to "regulate" the Internet.

HEY! LET'S BLAME ALL OF THIS ON GORE. AFTER ALL, 'HE' INVENTED THE INTERNET. LOL!