BurningLeaves wrote:They tax hiked it in NY too. Now were up to $7-$8 a pack, though some places in NYC it's up to $10. I think that's completely ridiculous considering how little they cost to make. For alot of people smoking is a need as much as a want in their life. Not to mention with the way the economy is there's really not too many people with much disposable income out there and the unemployment rate doesn't show people who were cut from full time to part time (which was alot here in NY not sure of other places) and had to try and get another part time job just to come close to what they were making before. So if Jane Doe wants to have a cigarette in between her two jobs to relax her she shouldn't have to go into debt because of it. If they want people to quit smoking charging them more isn't going to help. Smokers aren't some rich minority out there, if anything I'm willing to bet more people of the lower income brackets smoke than the higher ones. Adults should be allowed to do what they choose to with their own bodies without the Government stepping in. Making people who are already struggling struggle even more to have one of the few pleasures they enjoy in life is just wrong. If it was done by the 'evil' cigarette corporations trying to milk every dollar possible out of their consumer it would be one thing but it's not it's the state trying to milk every greedy dollar away from people for buying a perfectly legal product they just don't think we should have.
It was bad enough when they did it with cigarettes, but now they are about to do it to soda too since they got away with the ciggs. In fact they are actually calling it an 'obesity' tax. Because ya know... them taxing the cheep fatty foods people can afford to buy and forcing them to spend more on healthy ones would be more efficient than offering tax breaks to corporations who keep the calorie and fat levels lower so they can pass that on to the consumer who then doesn't have a choice between a $2.99 bag of oreos or a $4.99/lb bag of grapes but a choice of products which are similar in price but one is better for you. Of course it isn't all about price, but people don't really react well with negative incentives. People don't like being backed into a wall in order to change, it just creates more backlash because they are being forced instead of given a choice, and most people will chose to rebel against the people trying to forcing them to change instead of those helping them to change.

BurningLeaves wrote:They tax hiked it in NY too. Now were up to $7-$8 a pack, though some places in NYC it's up to $10. I think that's completely ridiculous considering how little they cost to make. For alot of people smoking is a need as much as a want in their life. Not to mention with the way the economy is there's really not too many people with much disposable income out there and the unemployment rate doesn't show people who were cut from full time to part time (which was alot here in NY not sure of other places) and had to try and get another part time job just to come close to what they were making before. So if Jane Doe wants to have a cigarette in between her two jobs to relax her she shouldn't have to go into debt because of it. If they want people to quit smoking charging them more isn't going to help. Smokers aren't some rich minority out there, if anything I'm willing to bet more people of the lower income brackets smoke than the higher ones. Adults should be allowed to do what they choose to with their own bodies without the Government stepping in. Making people who are already struggling struggle even more to have one of the few pleasures they enjoy in life is just wrong. If it was done by the 'evil' cigarette corporations trying to milk every dollar possible out of their consumer it would be one thing but it's not it's the state trying to milk every greedy dollar away from people for buying a perfectly legal product they just don't think we should have.
It was bad enough when they did it with cigarettes, but now they are about to do it to soda too since they got away with the ciggs. In fact they are actually calling it an 'obesity' tax. Because ya know... them taxing the cheep fatty foods people can afford to buy and forcing them to spend more on healthy ones would be more efficient than offering tax breaks to corporations who keep the calorie and fat levels lower so they can pass that on to the consumer who then doesn't have a choice between a $2.99 bag of oreos or a $4.99/lb bag of grapes but a choice of products which are similar in price but one is better for you. Of course it isn't all about price, but people don't really react well with negative incentives. People don't like being backed into a wall in order to change, it just creates more backlash because they are being forced instead of given a choice, and most people will chose to rebel against the people trying to forcing them to change instead of those helping them to change.

Garylisk wrote:I dunno. I am OK with a "sin tax" to be honest. It's like the lottery, though, like you said. It's a tax on the lower classes. As for the crap they are trying to pull on soda, that is crap. It's food/beverage. That should not be taxed so high.
ZephyrStar wrote:I think the only time I smoke actual cigarettes anymore is when Brad or Liz offer me one. Otherwise I really enjoy a cigar among good company, so I get a pack of them a few times a year. They're also really good with whiskey or brandy. Good times.
godix wrote:For those that do smoke and are concerned about the costs, check the smoke shops in your area. They may have little cigars. There are only two differences between cigarettes and little cigars. First, cigarettes are wrapped in paper while little cigars are wrapped in tobacco leaf. They taste pretty much identical. When I first tried little cigars I put a cigarette and cigar on the table, closed my eyes, then randomly grabbed and smoked one. I honestly couldn't tell which I was smoking. The second different is price. A carton of name brand cigarettes in my area is ~$45. A carton of little cigars is $11.95.

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