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"Reginald P. Smithers III" wrote in
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Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 04:02:38 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:

If you going to smoke, smoke an Altria brand. Filthy habit, but
I enjoy the dividends.

Filthy habits are drinking to excess and endangering innocent
lives.

I'd be willing to bet that drinking alcohol kills a hell of a lot
more
people than cigars do.
Tom,
As a former smoker I always thought smoking was an enjoyable,
filthy, unhealthy habit. I understood non smokers who did not want
to smell or inhale 2nd hand smoke. Since the mid 80's I only
smoked outside and tried to make sure it was not blowing towards
non smokers.

Even if 2nd hand smoke was not proven to unhealthy, the smell alone
is offensive to non cigar smokers, even cigarette smokers.


Even if smoking is deadly, it is a free choice item. I can and do
enjoy it being banned from the workplace and bars and dining
establishments here in California. But this is supposed to be a
free country. If you want to smoke in your house, or car, you
should be able to. Ballot measure this election to put a $2.60 tax
per pack of ciggies. F'n do gooders. They say it will cut smoking,
and 80% will go to hospitals for payment of healthcare costs. It is
still some fanatic group enforcing their mores on another group.
Short Wave is a health care basket case from what I understand, but
it is his choice to smoke. I used to race cars, also can be
unhealthy, but it is still an action of free (well expensive)
choice.


Here (NY), when the tax jumped in a big way, the two major
manufacturers apparently had enough room in their margins to whack
the price. They're still about five bucks a pack. Predictions were
around seven. Never happened.


But is not right for the government to decide to control some
behaviors via taxation while favoring others. Where the hell is the
freedom of choice? Some extremist group (like PETA?) gets the majority
of congress people bought and passes a $50 a fish caught tax. You
still happy with that? You are in the grocery business, Carbs are bad
for you, so a tax of $0.03 an ounce is placed on carbs. You going to
cut your prices. And why should the private company have to cut prices
to offset a tax?


I didn't say I was happy with the tax idea. I simply said that in some
cases, it may have no final effect on the price.


$2.60 a pack tax. No affect on price?


Before the ***LATEST*** tax increase, they were $4.25-ish. After, they
were in the sixes. That lasted a month or two, at which point, they
settled down to $4.85-$5.25. Since the govmint didn't decrease their
meddling, it's clear that the big drop came from manufacturers. I know a
C-store owner. He's described the pricing to me.

A friend in Rhode Island complains the price is still in the sixes. Is
the tax that much higher in RI than NY?

Answered my own question:

As of 1/1/2006

NY - $1.50/pack (No. 10 in the US)
RI - $2.46/pack (highest in the US)

http://www.taxadmin.org/FTA/rate/cigarett.html