Comments on: N.Y. Smokers Face Highest Tax In Nation

Health Commissioner Says $1.25 Per Pack Increase Is A "Public Health Victory"

[middleman8]

The only good thing about smokers is they die early and don''t draw pensions.

[erichsh]

"We know one of the really effective tools to get people off of their nicotine addiction is to the raise the price" says New York health commissioner. I''d submit that New York has its own addiction problems - addicted to new taxes and new $$$$.

[joe1022joe]

Black market cigarettes are just around the corner -- if they''re not already here.

[killtheliars]

go to Delaware, that is what I do. a carton is $30.00. There is no way I''m paying someone elses bills. I have enough to pay for with my own family, private schools, vacations, mortgage ect. If i were buying them in Pa I would be speading twice that.

[bobnjersey]

lets try prohibition ... that''ll work ... yea ... that''s the ticket!

[credibility2]

Good for NY! I quit a two pack a day habit cold turkey in 1990. Yeah, I tried quitting several times before, but losing a high-paying job forced me to make a choice: food or cigarettes. I can''t stand being around anyone who is a smoker. Even smelling the residue on them is sickening. I live in IL and there is a supposed total ban on smoking, except out on the streets and sidewalks where all of the smokers light up en masse and creating a major stink with their filthy disgusting second-hand smoke that non-smokers are forced to inhale just by trying to breathe.

[killtheliars]

the point that smoking is bad is irrevelant. People who choose to do something that is legal should not have to pay to purchase other people''s health insurance and fund schools that their kids don''t attend. when this tax was first established all of the money was supposed to be allocated to quite smoking programs and health care for smokers (which is only fair since they are paying for it). Just because state and local governments are broke smokers should not have to bail them out. If the local governments don''t have any money they need to close down programs, and even schools if necessary, not tax one group of people . The argument that smokers have a higher health cost is not a valid argument either. If you can afford to smoke at $450.00 a pack chances are you are paying for your own health insurance, so if you need medical care you are covered, unlike a lot of people who don''t smoke. One of the problems with this country is they are constantly looking at ways to take from the people who have and give to the people who don''t. If you don''t have go get a second job.

[trillion1]

The anti smoking nazis are so short sighted it''s scary. If the tens of millions in tobbacco taxes disappear do they think the goverment isn''t going to make it up somewhere else. It will be interesting when the goverment starts harassing fat people. There are far more of them than there are smokers and they are a drain on the health care system.

[blkdog2]

SMOKING KILLS YOU, ... killing yourself ought to be expensive.

[acolton1]

I only smoke when I am drinking and at the Casino usually. It peves me off when people see you open a pack at the Casino and make a bee line towards you and try to bum a smoke.

I just say NO all the time now. I use to give people cigarrets but sometimes its the same person being a bum and asking for a smoke. IF YOU CANT AFFORD TO SMOKE THEN QUIT. One pack last me almost 2 or 3 weeks.

[shuggie55]

I''m a liberal and I smoke and I''m against what they are doing. So quit making this about liberal vs conservative - makes no sense! Because there are a LOT of liberals I know that is just as angry about this tax as the next.

The problem is that these people who make this decision are x smokers, hate smoke or have had someone they know get sick or die from smoke. That could mean anynone. That''s who''s making these laws.

I think the one guy below said it right - watch out - alcohol is next!

[therealbd]

I can understand wanting people to quit smoking...but I think that this is just a "smoke in mirrors" excuse. This is like taxing Prozac to deter people from being going crazy... or to deter young people from having mental problems.
Why not tax high end imported wines and liquors; top end imported cigars and top end prostitutes.... o that''s because those are the products that the law makers purchase. They don''t want to be taxed. The Indian reservations are going to love this. They will see a huge increase in sales (which will be counter productive as far as generating revenue). Not to mention taking money out of our communities and into others. Great going policy makers... good job
Bottom line: just another way to tax the lower and middle classes. Tell you senators and congress people that the governments (all levels) are going to have to start doing what all of the rest of us are doing, do more with less! Cannot keep taxing us at every corner to fund the government%u2019s inefficiencies

[s1ckd09]

This makes me so happy! If only they had done this 100 years ago before half my family and I were sickened by cigarettes. Now let''''s move on to alcohol!!



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Posted by timothyone at 12:34 PM : Jun 03, 2008


I hope you''re being sarcastic...

[s1ckd09]

Geee... Why does New York hate kids? They are purposely trying to destroy the SCHIP program by eliminating the source of revenue. If only some people had said this earlier when the whole SCHIP debate was being held... oh wait, there WERE people saying this.... the people with BRAINS and common sense!
Hey, guess what? They''re going to get that SCHIP money from somewhere, right? Guess who''s next...

[timothyone-2009]

This makes me so happy! If only they had done this 100 years ago before half my family and I were sickened by cigarettes. Now let''s move on to alcohol!!

[ephd]

oops, did i just try to turn this into a conservative vs. liberal issue even though it is moslty unrelated to politics? I guess its similar to how most liberals somehow find an excuse to bash the war, Bush, and America, in every articles comments section. Even when the article is about the migration habits of peruvian dung beetles

[rf35]

They might as well just ban tobacco altogether. Damm glad I quit. Oh, and once the health Nazis are finished with tobacco, watch your alcohol prices. The lost revenue from smokers who quit will have to be made up elsewhere.

[ephd]

I don''t smoke, but it amazes me that the government is getting away with this fantastic abuse of power. The tax rate on cigarettes is obsene, and they are only getting away with this because mostloud mouthed liberals like the ACLU are addicted to starbucks coffee, rather than cigarettes. Now if they taxed coffee like this, there would be demonstrations and mohawk sporting nutjobs would be spraying alfalfa spouts they would be screaming so hard and loud.

[navyjimfl]

man after paying for my cigs gas beer and lottery tickets i can''t pay the rent....

[bobgee_1999]

"Public Health Victory" Plllt! More like a B.S. Discrimination Victory. It would be interesting if we managed to get rid of smoking altogether, just to see what they would go after next. Fat people is my guess.

I''m willing to concede that if you''re trapped in a phone booth with a smoker for 30 years secondhand smoke might be a health issue, but beyond that I seriously doubt it.