More Smokers Wanted
July 30th, 2007 by Jared MorrisOn Wednesday the 60-cent-a-pack tax increase on cigarettes will take effect.. According to the State News, this will raise the total per-pack tax to $1.15.
In 2003, Gov Minner raised the cigarette tax $0.31.. Meaning, in 2003, prior to the initial tax-raise.. smokers were paying only an extra $0.24 per pack… Still a great bit lower than the city of New York’s awesome tax-hike
from the Cato Institue in 2003: Mayor Michael Bloomberg hiked the city’s cigarette excise tax from 8 cents to $1.50 per pack. That hike, coupled with a series of recent increases in the state cigarette tax, has pushed the price of legal brand name cigarettes to more than $7.50 per pack.
It’s a paradox really, though… How can the state and it’s imfamous Quit-Line (pictured left) allow people to quit… but still bring in all of those lucrative nicotine stained tax dollars?
Ah, yes.. raise the tax more and more and more… But, what do we do when those fed up with the tax-hike then quit smoking? Which is one of Minner’s goals, right? To decrease childhood smoking? (Tell that to the family in Lone Star Steak House that I witnessed allowing their 14-year-old so enjoy that sweet Carolina smoke even more than he enjoyed that Awesome Blossom).
Wow, that does look awesome… I want to share with you an e-mail I received today on the smoking tax coming direct from my inbox to your eyes… enjoy:
Having been out of town, I return to be greeted by the States’ latest visit to the Cigarette ATM machine. Cigarette smokers already pay more taxes than other Delaware (indeed, US) citizen. Democrats in Congress are moving to add .61 cents to a pack of cigarettes.  I don’t believe that there is conclusive evidence of the health drawbacks. Cigarettes are being taxed again and again because having demonized cigarette smokers, it is a popular tax. Those who don’t foresee that the next ATM tax will be on THEIR particular vice (pleasure), have their heads stuck in sand. Politicians would happily tax alcohol and beer, however the number of those who like to drink constitutes far too many voters to irritate. Especially in an election year. From the information available, politicians view cigarette taxes as their own slush fund. They should think about killing the golden goose however. I read recently that the number of cigarette smokers have declined. The article stated - “new smokers wanted”. Recently thieves stole several thousand dollars worth of cigarettes in Magnolia, Delaware. This type of theft will probably greatly increase as it did when the first cigarette taxes arrived. It’s time (past time, really) to let up on taxing cigarettes and to work at better managing government and state finances.
July 30th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Good possibility I’ll quit…a few more dollars I can keep out of the public coffers. First the smoking ban stopped us from dining out as we used to…at least in Delaware. Maryland was a much more hospitable place to spend money on a good meal then lingering over coffee and a cigarette. Not only that the drive itself was worth while since we could fill the gas tank with considerably lower damage to our pockets. Now the cig price hike…well, see…MD has changed their smoking rules so nice dinners out will stop, both there and here but still can get gas at a lower price. Andf when…not if…we quit smoking there’s $11.50 a carton the State is not getting. Nope, nope…two of us so double that…figure $100 a month or near enough they won’t get from this household, alone. Add the gas taxes, the loss of revenue from restaurants…whoooeee! One more law passed and we’ll be quids in. Civil/domestic partnership law and we can then get the same deductions as other couples. Geez…by the time we need health care we’ll be able to afford it. Delaware…you ain’t getting any more money from me than that which you absolutely HAVE to have.
July 30th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
Are you (or your inbox) saying that here are no special taxes on alcohol in Delaware? Almost everything is taxed. It would be easier to list the things not taxed than taxed: Certain food items, in some localities (only if bought in a grocery store). I think there is one state that has no sales tax, Montana, or one of those, but I’m not even sure that’s true any more. There are “special” taxes on jewelry, fancy foodstuffs, telephone use, air travel. then there are room taxes for hotels, taxes at two or more levels for renting a place here at the beach, and then those who receive moneys from the government in various forms have to pay taxes on those as well. Like feedback on an amplifier, one of these days the system will implode before anyone can throttle back on it.
http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxfreedomday/
Now, let’s see if I can get to 100 before P tells us that it is all being spent wisely.
July 31st, 2007 at 8:01 am
Good point, macb. I find it ironic how people complain about affordable housing in Delaware and a lack of decent paying jobs, especially here in Sussex. Seems to me that even with affordable housing and good jobs, how will most people be able to sustain themselves with the ever-increasing taxes in this state.
In my accounting classes at college, they taught us factors of a market-driven economy. Among these factors is “what the market can bear”. I am a happy homeowner and business owner. Since I bought my house 4 years ago, my property taxes have increased over 80%. I now have to purchase a license to fish in the ocean. It costs me more to register my vehicles and renew my license. I am paying a lot more for gas and getting lower mileage (thanks ethanol!). I am paying a heck of a lot more to feed my family (thanks again, ethanol). I am paying almost double for electricity as I did 3 years ago. And did I mention that my wife and I are smokers?
Unfortunately, I cannot give myself a cost-of-living raise because I would be forced to pass the extra expense to my customers. I simply cannot justify that. Instead, I have found ways to reduce my overhead and cut down on other expenses. If the State of Delaware would like advise on this strange and unprecedented concept, please have them call me. I will be more than happy to educate them.
July 31st, 2007 at 9:52 am
Did anyone else notice that two new tobacco shops have opened their doors in the Lewes and Midway area?
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HHHHMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm ! ! ! !
Did you know that these tobacco companies are INCORPORATED IN DELAWARE!
Lorillard Tobacco Company, Inc. (”Lorillard”) is a Delaware corporation whose principal place of business is One Park Avenue, New York, New York 10016. Lorillard manufactures, advertises, promotes and sells Old Gold, Kent, Triumph, Satin, Max, Spring, Newport, and True cigarettes and other tobacco products throughout the United States. Lorillard advertises, promotes and sells its tobacco products throughout the State of California.
Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation (”Brown & Williamson”) is a Delaware corporation whose principal place of business is 1500 Brown & Williamson Tower, Louisville, Kentucky 40202. Brown & Williamson manufactures, advertises, promotes and sells Kool, Raleigh, Barclay, Belair, Capri, Richland, Loredo, Eli Cutter, and Viceroy cigarettes and other tobacco products throughout the United States. Brown & Williamson advertises, promotes and sells tobacco products throughout the State of California.
American Tobacco Company, Inc. (”American Tobacco”) is a Delaware corporation whose principal place of business is Six Stamford Forum, Stamford, Connecticut 06904. American Tobacco manufactured, advertised, promoted and sold Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Tareyton, American, Malibu, Montclair, Newport, Misty, Iceberg, Silk Cut, Silva Thins, Sobrania, Bull Durham, and Carlton cigarettes and other tobacco products throughout the United States. American Tobacco advertised, promoted and sold its tobacco products throughout the State of California. In 1994, American Tobacco was sold to British-American Tobacco Co., a company related to BAT Industries, P.L.C., the parent of Brown & Williamson.
United States Tobacco Company (”U.S. Tobacco”) is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business at 100 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, Connecticut. U.S. Tobacco manufactures, advertises, promotes and sells Sano cigarettes. U.S. Tobacco also manufactures, advertises and sells more than 88% of the smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco) sold in the United States under various brand names including Happy Days, Skoal and Copenhagen. U.S. Tobacco advertises, promotes and sells its tobacco products throughout the State of California.
Liggett & Myers, Inc. (“Liggett”) is a Delaware corporation whose principal place of business is Main and Fuller, Durham, North Carolina. Liggett manufactures, advertises, promotes and sells Chesterfield, Decade, L&M, Pyramid, Dorado, Eve, Stride, Generic, and Lark cigarettes and other tobacco products throughout the United States. Liggett advertises, promotes, and sells its tobacco products throughout the State of California.
DELAWARE’S GOVERNMENT IS HYPOCRITICAL! Seriously everyone know all the fortune 500 companies are incorporated in Delaware but this…….COME ON RUTH ANN! I guess as long as the second hand smoke is only making Californians sick than it’s JUST FINE WITH OUR GOVERNOR!!! !