Pennsylvania to Crack Down on Illegal Internet Cigarette Purchases

Yahoo News ^ | 29 August 2002

[SheLion]

HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- On behalf of Pa. Gov. Mark Schweiker, Secretary of Revenue Larry P. Williams today announced that the department is cracking down on illegal Internet sales of cigarettes.

"Our main goal in increasing Pennsylvania's tax on cigarettes was to discourage our children from smoking," Secretary Williams said. "If children have access to purchasing tobacco products over the Internet, it defeats the purpose.

"The number of Internet sites selling cigarettes has increased dramatically, and many of those websites are falsely advertising that cigarettes may be purchased tax-free.

In Pennsylvania, smokers who possess more than one carton of cigarettes purchased from outside the state are committing a criminal offense.

"The Internet is a great resource, but some individuals are using it to thwart Pennsylvania tax law. We owe it to our Pennsylvania retailers to stop this illegal practice."

Since the increase in the cigarette tax went into effect on July 15, the department has been working with the Pennsylvania State Police and federal law enforcement officials to curb illegal sales, Secretary Williams said.

Joint investigations by the Department's Office of Criminal Tax Investigations and other law enforcement officials have already netted a number of contraband cigarettes, he added.

If a Pennsylvania resident is found in possession of more than one carton of cigarettes which are not marked with Pennsylvania tax stamps, they are subject to up to 90 days imprisonment and a fine of $300.

Willful evasion of the state's cigarette tax can lead to five years in prison and $15,000 in fines. Transportation of unstamped or out-of-state cigarettes by anyone not properly licensed by the Commonwealth can lead to seizure of the vehicle used to transport the cigarettes.

Secretary Williams also warned consumers that the cigarettes they order on the Internet may not be what they receive. Many of the nationally known brands of cigarettes sold online from foreign sources are actually counterfeit products. In addition, cigarettes purchased online may have been sitting in a warehouse for years.

In contrast, licensed cigarette dealers regularly replace stale products, ensuring the quality of the product sold.

Internet dealers selling cigarettes manufactured solely for export are violating federal laws as well. These cigarettes are stamped "for export only" and are illegal to possess in any quantity in the United States.

Pennsylvania consumers who have purchased cigarettes from an out-of-state source must remit the Cigarette Tax and Use Tax by submitting a Form REV-791 -- Consumer Cigarette Excise Tax Return -- which will be available on the Department's website at www.revenue.state.pa.us within the next two weeks.

Consumers who purchase out-of-state cigarettes are required to pay the $1 per pack cigarette tax, as well as the 6 percent use tax (7 percent in Philadelphia and Allegheny Counties) by the end of the month after they received the cigarettes.

Individuals can report suspected Pennsylvania cigarette tax violations by calling the Cigarette Tax Enforcement Unit at (717) 783-4649.

CONTACT: Kent Wissinger, Deputy Press Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, +1-717-787-6960.

[SheLion]

S C A R Y

It IS scary! Didn't Ashcroft say a week or so ago that he wanted to indoctrinate so many people in each city to be “watch dogs” and turn in suspected activity? Hey! This is a little to much for me!

[goldstategop]

They can't collect the tax short of imprisoning everyone in Pennslyvania. The state would lose more in court costs and prosecutions than it would gain in revenue. People are going to shrug and go on purchasing cigarette cartons whether over the Internet or out of state.

[Congressman Billybob]

Those who are interested in (strike that -- those who are "mad as Hell about") the increasing tendency of government to act like our state and national nannies, need to strike back. Click the second linki below, for both weapons and ammunition.

Congressman Billybob

Click for latest column: "Memo to CBS about Bill Clinton."

Click for latest book: "to Restore Trust in America"

[BADJOE]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahah

They don't have enough jails!!!

Hahahahahahahahahhehehehehehehh


Who do they think they are kidding?

Hohohohohohohohohohoho


Talk about crowding the court system and it will cost them a hell of a lot more to keep us in the slammer.

'Wasn't Pennsylvania where the Wiskey Rebelion occured?

Hehehehehehhohohohohohohohahhahahah. stop your killing me.

[RikaStrom]

I'm thinking that this could be the way for a massive lawsuit.

[SheLion]

Individuals can report suspected Pennsylvania cigarette tax violations by calling the Cigarette Tax Enforcement Unit at (717) 783-4649.

Does anyone have any idea how they can enforce this, short of going door-to-door? Cigarettes come in brown unmarked wrappers. The only ones that could turn someone in would be the postman or the UPS guy. Right? Or the Post Master. What does anyone think?

[SheLion]

They can't collect the tax short of imprisoning everyone in Pennslyvania. The state would lose more in court costs and prosecutions than it would gain in revenue. People are going to shrug and go on purchasing cigarette cartons whether over the Internet or out of state.

I think they are playing mind games and blowing smoke. Your right! The whole state would be in jail.

[usadave]

"The Internet is a great resource, but some individuals are using it to thwart Pennsylvania tax law. We owe it to our Pennsylvania retailers to stop this illegal practice."

The state of Pennsylvania ought to pass a law that mandates that each adult resident of the state must buy at least 10 cartons of cigarettes each month from an in-state retail outlet, regardless of whether or not the resident is a smoker. Now that would be a great way for the politicians in Pennsylvania to shake down the state's taxpayers for more tax revenue!

[OXENinFLA]

"Our main goal in increasing Pennsylvania's tax on cigarettes was to discourage our children from smoking,"

YEAH!!!! OK, And the money had nothing to do with it?

I could hear congress smacking their chops when they thought up this idea.

[Japedo]

More from the Updated TIPS website... I'm not really sure how to take this.. I sense a "LOOP" hole somehow...Could be from the shipping end? Dunno if you agree... One thing IS for sure.. I don't trust any TIPS program!!!

INDUSTRIES

Industries interested in participating will be given printed materials on how to contact the reporting center, and would in turn provide information and any training to their workers directly. Many industries already provide this type of information as part of their security and job training.

Operation TIPS would offer its hotline service to workers involved in the transportation, trucking, shipping, maritime, and mass transit industries. Industry associatio ns and groups in these areas will be invited to receive information about the hotline so their workers can participate in the program if they so choose. Other industry associations involved in the above-mentioned industries could also seek participation by contacting the Department of Justice.

At the outset of the program, the Department of Justice planned to engage the postal and utility industries to participate because their workers maintain regular public routes in the communities they serve, putting them in a unique position to recognize potentially dangerous activity along transportation routes and in public places. In addition, the inclusion of postal workers and utility workers made sense because they have been identified as targets for terrorism. Postal workers in New Jersey and Washington, D.C. were victims of the anthrax terrorist attacks last year, and postal workers across the country were affected by the recent pipe bomb attacks. As attac ks on utility plants and water systems could affect the public health and safety of millions of people, these facilities have long been considered prime targets of domestic and international terrorism. The Department never intended that workers calling the hotline would report on anything other than publicly observable activities. However, given the concerns raised during the program development phase about safeguarding against all possibilities of invasion of individual privacy, the Department of Justice has decided that the hotline number will not be shared with any workers, including postal and utility workers, whose work puts them in contact with homes and private property.

[abner]

If Customs opens your package before it gets to you, they can report you to the state.

[TomGuy]

"Our main goal in increasing Pennsylvania's tax on cigarettes was to discourage our children from smoking," Secretary Williams

Sec. Williams, you are a liar. It isn't for the children; it is for more tax revenues for the state coffers. Otherwise, Sec. Williams, why not tax beer at $5.00 a can--keep those young drivers from drinking and driving? Drunk teens behind the wheel are much greater threats to persons and property.

The next stupid law, Sec. Williams, you should propose is that all Internet cigarette sellers must mark the packages as follows:

Contents: Cigarettes, illegal in Pennsylvania, California, New York, _________________

[Makes one wonder whether such politicians and government officials were born idiots or whether they mommies dropped them on their heads when changing their diapers.]

[SheLion]

I'm thinking that this could be the way for a massive lawsuit.

You think? Surely there is something in our Rights that would protect us from the likes of these people.

It's a Free Market on the Net. How can they just single out cigarettes? Pretty good this makes everyone criminals, eh? Are you sure Hitler wasn't reincarnated into Gov. Mark Schweiker body?

[breakem]

Anyone know if I can send my kid to an LA school with a soda in her bag now that the schools don't sell soft drinks. Maybe she can make some money doing this?

[Wolfie]

How can they enforce it? Guess watching the mail would be easy enough. Tobacco sniffing dogs won't hurt either. And property confiscation, that works too. Other States will follow, I'm sure.

[SheLion]

the Department of Justice has decided that the hotline number will not be shared with any workers, including postal and utility workers, whose work puts them in contact with homes and private property.

I don't trust this, either. If a do-gooder thinks they see suspicious activity, you know darn well they are going to call it in.

[Great Dane]

July 22 — An Islamic militant group is denying any involvement in a scheme that the FBI says raised money for terrorism activities worldwide through cigarette trafficking in the United States.

To stop that, all levels of governments need to cut taxes back to a reasonable level.

[SheLion]

All of us well know that there is a dry rot in the American economy, in society, and especially in national politics. What is happening now in the stock market, in the economy and in Congress is nothing new. It has been building for years. Now this nasty stew is boiling over.

Thanks for the links!!! They are really good reading. I will go back later and read all of it!

[Who dat?]

Does anyone have any idea how they can enforce this, short of going door-to-door?

They have a couple of options. First they can try to get records from the companies selling the cigarettes that are being delivered to PA. It can get complicated, especially if it is a company that operates on an Indian reservation.

Another option is to go after the companies that deliver them. Usually that would be UPS or FedEx, but EVERY delivery company that I know of will cooperate with law enforcement. They’d tell them that illegal cigarettes are being shipped from this company and being delivered into our state in an attempt to circumvent tax laws. Now tell us where deliveries from that company have been made in PA. Usually cigarettes/booze require a signature so there will be a delivery record with your signature on it.

The problem with that is the shipping label of a package from that company does not usually describe the contents – just that it doesn’t contain hazardous materials or prohibited items, etc. So you could always just say you ordered some non-cigarette item, or only one carton.

At that point they’d probably note the address and request that packages to that address (shipped from that company) be intercepted next time. They’d open it and see that it did indeed contain 10 cartons of cigarettes, tape it back up and have an officer posing as a driver deliver it and get the signature then they’d have you.

They routinely do that type of thing regarding items purchased with stolen credit card numbers. I’d think they’d have enough to do without spending a lot of time doing this unless you were ordering a ton of cigarettes.

[SheLion]

Makes one wonder whether such politicians and government officials were born idiots or whether they mommies dropped them on their heads when changing their diapers.

It seems a lot of our lawmakers have come from the weak end of the gene pool. This is rediculous!