States hunt smokers who dodge sales tax

Best pay the King's Tax or He will take your land. Is your tobacco stamped with His royal likeness?

Several states and the District of Columbia are tracking down smokers who buy cheaper cigarettes out of their jurisdictions and have even begun tax-collection procedures that can end in liens put against the offender's property.

Ohio and Pennsylvania have been particularly aggressive in trying to collect money from smokers who dodge local tobacco taxes by purchasing cigarettes online, from Indian reservations or from states with lower taxes.

Washington Times


I don't smoke, yet can't help feeling that the State will come after my little vices and pleasures once they've bled the smokers dry.

I actually saw the same article (almost verbatim) that was published prior to the increase in Federal Taxes on cigarettes. It's nice to know the media is so environmentally conscience that they would even recycle their news articles!

It is true, though that Indian Reservations do not have to pay Federal (and in most cases State) Taxes on cigarettes. They aren't supposed to sell to non-natives, but who is going to seriously question whether you are 1/8th Cherokee or not when you are handing them a Benjamin Franklin for those cases of smokes?

There are some Reservations that are pulling in more cash from selling cheap cigarettes to the White Devil than they are from their One-Armed Bandits in their Casinos that steal from the White Devil.

And considering History, I say more power to them for doing so!

However, the White Devils (I mean non-natives) need to be careful and know that if a State Trooper pulls you over after your visit to the Rez, you better not have more than a pack or two on you. If you have a case or more, then you are going to get a hefty fine.

And you know what? Even if they do such, it's not going to stop people from going out of their way to cross State lines or visit Indian Reservations to get cheap smokes no more than speeding tickets deter speeders on the freeway.

The liens on houses that Pennsylvania has been doing to penalize people who do this is just going too far...especially doing such without prior notice! That's entirely unacceptable.



[edit on 19-6-2009 by fraterormus]

When did it become illegal to buy cigarrettes from a state other than the one you are from? So what happens if you are on vacation in a state with lower tobacco taxes, are they going to hunt you down if you buy some smokes and forget to throw them away before you cross back into your home state?

reply to post by grapesofraft


The way I understand it is that you can buy cigarettes from wherever you want, as long as you pay the taxes for them in your home state.

edit to say that I believe it has to be more than just a single pack before you owe taxes. For example, in Arkansas it's 11 packs before you owe taxes.

[edit on 6/20/2009 by LiquidLight]

I don't think they can do that. You are supposed to have all the protection of a state citizen when you travel there meaning you should be able to buy anything they can.

reply to post by miraclerock


It's not the buying that they get you with, it's the transporting across the state line.

[edit on 6/20/2009 by LiquidLight]