New Yorkers prepare for cigarette tax hike

CORNING, N.Y. -- A big change for smokers in New York is right around the corner. A cigarette tax hike of $1.60 goes into effect July 1st, making New York the most expensive state to buy cigarettes. And it's making New York smoke shop owners angry

utica-mohawkvalley.ynn.com...


This is just wrong.I do not understand how putting a new tax on anything is going to accomplish anything for the government other than more money in their pocket's and the rest of the world in even more of a rut.We are already in serious trouble financially as a whole,Now they want to make the hole bigger so that people steal,kill,rob and live on the street's even more than they already have been made to do.
This just sadden's me to no end

Insanity, but it does open up a new black market of buying cigs in bulk and taking em in state without paying taxes, not a bad market to get into in this economy actually (-: Or better yet, you could order counterfeit cigs online from china for $1.50 a pack lol

This has the potential to be a good thing to the many folks who just need a bit more motivation to quit the habit.

I quit cold turkey after 20 years. I know many others who have also. I just blocked out the brainwashing claims that this habit is so addicting and just occupied my mind on other things without letting ANY thoughts whatsoever enter my mind involving smoking or cigarettes. Honestly, it was VERY SIMPLE TO QUIT!!

I really think removing the brainwashing factor is 99% of the battle.

Originally posted by KrillsAngelWings
CORNING, N.Y. -- A big change for smokers in New York is right around the corner.

They already have it bad. Last year in NYC I saw the highest price I've ever seen for cigs anywhere: over $100/carton. Screwing the consumer seems standard fare in NYC

If people are going to be robbing killing stealing and living on the streets over a hike on the cigarette tax they may want to seek some counceling for their very serious addiction! I think thats a little extreme. If you smoke and cant afford to spend $9 on a pack order them from out of state or quit. It's not like their taxing tap water or bread or fruit. People don't need cigarettes to survive, its a luxury and in tough times the 1st thing to get cut from your budget should be the little luxuries. Just my opinion.

$100.00 A carton??? Insanity!

Unfortunately cigarettes where the first product that became a social "hot issue" in a very long time and they became the poster child for what is becoming a standard thing in America - the idea of "taxing anyone but me".

What people don't tend to get is that once we let a travesty like this happen with cigarettes it only opens the door for it to happen with just about every other product.

Unreal.

If your are an honest smoker, you will admit that smoking has some
"Social Cost". It is only fair that smokers bear that cost.

However if the government taxes smokes at a higher rate than the social
cost, the government becomes a drug criminal enterprise(based on my definition: Profiting off human weakness)

Its time to buy tobacco seeds and get some grow lights!_javascript:icon('')

One of the biggest arguments in NY (where I'm from, and yes I'm a smoker) is that it seems every year they are adding taxes on to cigarettes, and ONLY cigarettes.

Currently without this new tax hike I pay $8.75 a pack. And that is on Long Island. I know in Manhattan it is higher. Yes. The state is most definitely profiting off of peoples addictions. They know that many people will grumble and shake their fists, but then go off and buy a pack of cigs. I personally am going to try and quit. If I can't.. I can always go to the Seneca reservation and buy em tax free. But that is another issue.

NY is trying to force the reservations to begin chagrining taxes. Which is very much against their treaty with NY.

Gov. Patterson.. I dunno. I seriously dislike the guy. Spitzer may have bought hookers, but at least he didn't try to bury NY in taxes.

My big question is.. why not raise tax on alcohol as well? You know why? Because more people drink than smoke. Smokers are viewed as lesser people in todays society. But if you tax alcohol... oooh boy watch out.



[edit on 23-6-2010 by DerekJR321]

I find it really ironic that TPTB are killing the single crop that helped them establish the foot hold they had/have on this new found land, and further the reason for the immigrant farmers to go to a tax free..land to do so....

Its really a shame. This country was built on the back of tobacco. I say if you're going to have a "vice" tax then it should be equal across the board. Where's the tax hike for alcohol? I bet if a 12 pack of budweiser cost $15 there would be all kinds of craziness in new york. But since they're just sticking it to the "dirty smokers" its ok. Yes I am also a "dirty smoker". Why not legalize/decriminalize marijuana? Levy taxes against it and cash in on the revenue stream that would generate!

reply to post by DerekJR321



Spitzer definetly had the people of NY's best interest at heart.Just as u said he may have paid for some high class hooker's But he was a great advocate for NY State.I am a smoker and a NYer and i am in the begining of trying to quit Altho my reasoning is because i want to have a better chance for concieving a child with my husband.I think it's a really bad choice to raise these tax's yet again on cigarette's.The question i have is why raise it ONLY on cigarette's? Like DerekJR321 said why not tax other thing's that have no high tax's and they could benefit from the it more.I think it's a form of discrimination and it should not be allowed

I read another article on this that stated $5.85 of the $10.85 pack cost would be taxes. They are taxing more than the cost of a pack itself.

I cant wait until people quit en masse and the state is out all of that money.

I actually applaud all of this governmental stupidity. Hopefully it will open more eyes to the failure that is government.

reply to post by brainwrek


It's actually a bit more than that I'd think. Here in Georgia brand name cigarettes sell for just under five bucks a pack, taxes included. So the actual product, I'd assume, is probably around four bucks or so.

reply to post by Hefficide


thats georgia. this is new york. everything is more expensive in new york, even upstate where im from.

$10.85 (cigs) - $5.85 (taxes) = $5.00 (product cost) taxes are more than the product.

i cant wait to move out of this friggin state.

[edit on 23-6-2010 by BlesUTP]

When cigarettes went to $1.25 a pack in 1987 (as well as a new son on the way) I decided it was high time to kick my 12 year habit...and I haven't looked back.

'Sin taxes' always cause controversy but in the case of tobacco use, I support it 110%. It's not only good for the public coffers but it may actually help save people's lives and reduce health costs.

Originally posted by Medieval1028
'Sin taxes' always cause controversy but in the case of tobacco use, I support it 110%. It's not only good for the public coffers but it may actually help save people's lives and reduce health costs.

Oh that's BS, alcohol causes just as much damage to the drinker and in many instances the people around them. This is nothing but a discriminatory practice against a portion of the population.

Fast food causes deaths and has serious health effects. Where's the 100%+ tax on a friggn big mac?

The OP's link is dead. Please repost.

Originally posted by azrael36

Originally posted by Medieval1028
'Sin taxes' always cause controversy but in the case of tobacco use, I support it 110%. It's not only good for the public coffers but it may actually help save people's lives and reduce health costs.

Oh that's BS, alcohol causes just as much damage to the drinker and in many instances the people around them. This is nothing but a discriminatory practice against a portion of the population.

Fast food causes deaths and has serious health effects. Where's the 100%+ tax on a friggn big mac?

You have hit the nail with this post. This is exactly why I take issue with this tax. Not only are they cherry-picking one group of people to tax, but then they are going after the indian nations knowing full well it will likely end in violence.

I really don't get how some people completely ignore the fact that alcohol is just as harmful if not more harmful to people around them.

You don't hear about someone smoking a pack of cigs then driving their car into people and killing them.

At least people who smoke choose to do so but that is not the case for victims of drunk drivers.

In my state you cannot smoke inside any public facility so people are not subjected to second hand smoke yet they still complain.

I wish they would outlaw being a drunk pompous jerk at the bars I may actually go out more.

Cigarettes or vilified and taxed to hell while other substances are somehow immune to this in some people's minds.

I am not a fan of taxes but if you are going to target one "sin" to overtax then you need to do it to them all including fast food. Then we will see how fast these cigarette tax supporters cry foul.

[edit on 23-6-2010 by TV_Nation]

Its a good example of democracy based tyranny the majority agree with this tax so it become a new law/tax.

Where is the representation for the smokers? Why do we have morality based taxes?

Nobody wants bigger government but we continue to support more and more taxes.

Im a smoker and Im a second class citizen.