Chet Culver wants to raise Iowa cigarette tax by $1 a pack. He claims this will raise $130 million in new taxes annually which he would use to insure children. Excuse me; does Iowa have that many children who smoke? Why should we smokers be taxed at a much higher rate than we already are? Last time I checked drunk drivers killed more people on our roads than smokers. Last time I checked cigarettes are legal. Even if taxes increase by the 64 cents per pack that is being mentioned, Iowa will not see a jump in revenues. If anything there could be a decrease in revenue depending on how steep the tax is.
As someone who likes to cruise, if the tax went up by the 64 cents, I would cruise to Wisconsin and save $2.30 a carton. Or better yet, I would get the 40' Plymouth out and cruise to Missouri and save $8.30 a carton and be grinning the whole drive. If you think I am alone in my thinking Governor, you better think again. If the $1 tax increase was passed, Illinois would be $3.80 a carton cheaper and a lot closer.
Convience store owners in towns that border higher taxed states would lose 34% of their non-gas revenues. Talk about a business friendly plan. I'm getting tired of being told how smokers are a burden to society. We pay our own higher insurance premiums, most of us do not litter, and some of us even ask before we light up. If you say 'I'd rather you didn't smoke', I just go outside when the urge hits. So until someone makes it illegal, get off my back. Enacting tax hikes and spending non-existant windfalls are not going to help anyone.
Here's a link to the QC Times story about it.
-----Addendum----
I have done some thinking and came to the conclusion I would accept a 25 cent a pack tax hike if; all monies raised from this tax went to building more prisons. I would support a $1 per butt fine for all litterers with the same conditions attached. Then the judges wouldn't have an excuse to let the punks loose on our streets, and maybe each smoker could sponser a felon. The State could send us a picture of 'our' sponsered felon so we knew where our money was going.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Cruiser, Do you not consider throwing your butts out the car window or on the sidewalk littering? Just walk down any street and look in the gutter. And don't even try to tell me you don't do it yourself!
I do not. I put the cigarette out and put it in my pocket. I empty my pocket when I get home. At car shows I knock the fire off the end and the butts in my pockets. I personally don't litter. Not butts, not food containers or anything else. I do however clean up after the jerks who do. Between McDonald's, Miller beer, and other peoples cigarette butts I'm busy keeping my alley clean.
That sounds gross, what a filthy habit you have! I hope you haven't passed it on to your children.
I don't smoke but I'm with you on this. Either make it illegal or leave it alone. Extra taxes are just going to make people drive over the nearest border and hurt businesses. It will probably lower our tax revenue.
It's a habit I wish I'd never started. And no, our son doesn't smoke and can't stand to be around it. Thanks for the nod snarky, it's just too bad the politicians can't figure about the revenue from border states.
Post a Comment