Holy smokes! Another cigarette tax hike?
The latest tax hike proposal being floated by the Corzine administration is another increase in the cigarette tax - 60 cents, from $2.40 a pack to $3 a pack. That would make New Jersey No. 1 in yet another tax category, far surpassing Rhode Island ($2.46 a pack). If enacted, New Jersey's cigarette tax would be $2.83 per pack higher than in Missouri.
In 2001, New Jersey's cigarette tax was 70 cents. It has been increased three times since then.
Despite the tax hikes, the increasingly common health insurance surcharges for smokers and the fact that it now costs upwards of $6 a pack for most brands of cigarettes, huge numbers of people refuse to kick the habit. For the addicted, is there a tipping point? New Jersey seems to be doing its best to find out what it is.
In 2001, New Jersey's cigarette tax was 70 cents. It has been increased three times since then.
Despite the tax hikes, the increasingly common health insurance surcharges for smokers and the fact that it now costs upwards of $6 a pack for most brands of cigarettes, huge numbers of people refuse to kick the habit. For the addicted, is there a tipping point? New Jersey seems to be doing its best to find out what it is.
posted by Randy Bergmann at 10:28 AM
1 Comments:
It is disgusting how because only 20% of the residents in the state smoke our elected officials continue to lean on smokers with these outragous taxes. People who smoke don't have the numbers to create a backlash at the election polls. Smokers are addicted to the nicotine as well as the habit. Addicts of any other drug are treated with compassion and given assistance or in some cases differentdrugs to help them kick the habit. Having quit smoking several times, I understand how difficult it is. Presently I do not smoke, but the urge is strong to pick up another cigarette and smoke again, hopefully I can continue to fight this urge. I did not quit because of the cost nor do most other smokers. It is a choice that most smokers would like to make but mentally it is a extremly difficult challenge. With distain, I look at our politicians because it is just for the revenue they can collect from the smokers. Not for the health of the people who smoke. In addition the majority of smokers are in the lower middle class to poverty level. This additional money will be coming from the children because their parents are addicted and even though they want to quit and to provide more for their kids they find it to difficult.
I am sure plenty of you will read this and say to bad. Well thats my point.
To touch on another problem I have, is the big brother approch of telling people who own bars and restarants how to run their business and not even allow them the option of sectinalizing their places to accomidate both smokers and non smokers.
Segregation has taken a whole new population of people to target.
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