Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Cigarette Tax is awesome.. .but should be higher

I just read this little teaser on the cover of CNN.com, and it's the first time in I don't know how long that I've seen good news on the cover of CNN!

- SMOKERS FEELING ABUSED AS FEDERAL TAX HIKE HITS -  Larry Jukes, 65, remembers when he could buy 10 packs of cigarettes for $2.50. These days he's paying $58 for a 10-pack carton at the Cigarette Store in Denver, Colorado. The largest-ever federal cigarette tax increase takes effect today. Jukes and other smokers say they feel taken advantage of."

No Mr. Jukes; sorry, you and your friends are the ones that have been taking advantage of us non-smokers by smoking your cancer sticks, making me smell the smoke from your cigarette sitting there on the table untouched, and blowing that crap in my direction.   

Apparently the tax hike will pay for 4 million children's healthcare.

If it were up to me, I'd add an additional $4 in taxes per packet as a "permanent stimulus package repayment tax" just for good measure.

4 comments:

Sadie J said...

Totally agree.

An extra $4 per pack would also be great to counteract other health care expenses for the rest of us who choose not to smoke.

That, and add up the time of an average smoker's 'smoke breaks' throughout the day, multiply by number of days worked per year, and give non-smokers that much added vacation time.

brownie said...

Yeah, smokers are pretty pissed off up here in Colorado. I shudder to see the cost of Phillie blunts once 14er season starts.

I hate picking on smokers though because A) I am one; and B) fat and lazy people are much more burdensome to the health care system, but it's not PC to attack them like smokers.

meredith said...

what about ticketing or taxing those who feel the need to throw their cig out the window...that drives Paul CRAZY!!

kirsten said...

How about fining co workers that insist on smoking right by a door that I have to walk thru to get into work. And Brownie...they are fat and lazy too! Double wammy!