@BasharOfTheAges - I couldn't disagree with you more. You can't go a single day without hearing that this is bad for you then that is bad for you. Our Government shouldn't be given the right to control every single thing we eat, do, buy, consume etc. I'm fine with mandates to industry to ensure the safest products possible, warning labels on those that are not, but to punish those of us who don't automatically conform to everything in the new 'health' movement is ridiculous. Smoking is my choice, I don't push that choice on others, I adhere to all the rules put in place on where I can and can't smoke so why should I be punished for my life style choice? Were not talking about a small negligible tax here. You can buy a pack of Marlboros tax free at a reservation for $4.80, if you buy them where I live the tax brings the total to $7.65, if you buy them in the city they float around $10 a pack. Were talking about them doubling the price of the item simply because they don't like the fact that I've chosen to do it. The taxes are also steadily increasing because they feel they have the right to tax the people they disagree with literally whatever they choose to no limit. The fact that they can single out items and chose to tax them at a higher rate than the regulated state tax should not be allowed. It shouldn't be you pay 8.59% tax on every item in NY except for X,Y,Z because we just don't like them.
And the fact of them using the cigarettes as a gate way to make other ridiculous taxes seem less like were being taken for a ride is obvious. After the last big hike in cigarettes went through less than a week later they were on to the soda. After the soda it's going to be something else. Cleaning products because they hurt the environment, baby formula because it's better to breast feed.. Who knows whatever they can get away with and make us believe is a good thing when it's really just trying to take choices away from the consumer which is unfair to us as well as business.
But I really think it's not about them not liking smoking. I think in actuality with the amount of money the state makes off of the ridiculous taxes on cigarettes they must love smoking. I think they are simply using this to justify hiking taxes in areas consumers won't argue with. Not too many people raised a fuss over the smoking tax hike so as soon as they got away with that they moved on to something else. And they will continue to move on to something else so long as they can keep fooling people into thinking it's the right thing to do. Not everyone who drinks soda is obese, it is not the soda companies fault if some of it's customers are obese. Putting a tax on it will not stop obesity it will only hurt people who are struggling already to struggle even more. The only way something like that could even succeed would be if they taxed it to the point were people could no longer afford to do it (such as the increasing taxes on cigarettes are getting) and then it doesn't even become a choice any more you are then being forced into not purchasing a certain product not because the company hiked it's prices but because your government decided you were too poor to have it. If they really wanted to do something to help the obesity issue instead of hurting people they could do something to help them like pass a law saying all restaurants need to make their nutrition information available. I can buy a bottle of Pepsi and know exactly what I'm getting, if I stop to eat at a Checkers I'll have no idea. (Though I could only imagine =/) If anything it shows that all they actually care about is getting at your money and will use any excuse necessary to do so. The EMT/Fire and police you mentioned were funded and around long before these taxes came into play. As for the hospital bills going unpaid for smoking poses health risks clearly, but I'm sure not every unpaid hospital bill was left by a smoker, or even a smoker getting treated for smoking related conditions. Why should we have to foot the bill for everyone else when heath care is an issue that affects us all?
As for your points Godix I agree with everything you said minus for the tax breaks part. Once our money is in their hands it becomes theirs and the more I see it being passed back to help people who chose to better themselves the better. To me it's all about choice, I think it's great for the government to offer incentives to people looking to improve their lives, but I firmly disagree on people being punished for not conforming. And them trying to raise the price of cigarettes so high that I no longer am given a choice in the matter shouldn't be allowed. /tldr rant





