NEWS: Kentucky considering poor tax under the guise of cigarette tax

Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher plans an increase of $.40 cents per pack on cigarette tax. The current Kentucky tax is $.03 per pack. That is over a 1000% tax increase. This attack is geared more to the poor than the wealthy, due to the fact that 38% of the poor smoke. The split of wealth in Kentucky is not even; there are far more poor than wealthy. Exploiting the poor to repair the budget is not the way to go. Part of the reason that it is geared to the poor is that it is a cigarette tax, not a tobacco tax. It appears that the Politician's cigars are safe from this tax.


Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher Plans increase of $.40 cents per pack cigarette tax. The current Kentucky tax is $.03 per pack. That is over a 1000% tax increase.

The Governor says the tax increase will help generate extra revenue for the state.(1)

The thought of using a cigarette tax to increase money for the state wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that

The smoking rate among low-income Kentuckians is much higher (38 percent) than among higher-income state residents (27 percent).(2)

The breakdown of people living in poverty is astounding in Kentucky.

Nearly one-third of Kentucky households had to choose whether to pay for food or medical care in 2001, the report said, and the numbers appear to be rising. And many poor working families are caught in the middle, the report said -- lacking adequate income to cover the costs of private health insurance, yet making just enough to disqualify them for public health insurance programs.(2)

In Kentucky, 16.5 percent of the households had an income below the federal poverty level.(3)

This is just below poverty not including the working poor.
There are many people that say that this isn't an attack against the poor but a means to an end. The problem with that thinking is that

Almost two out of three (63 percent) young adults ages 18 to 34 tried unsuccessfully to quit in the last year. (2)

There is a great debate about this, but nicotine is EXTREMELY adictive. Most smokers have tried unsucessfully to quit smoking and considering the cost of the "stop smoking" aids it is no wonder. The $30 cost plus for stop smoking aids makes it very difficult for most to afford them. Not to mention drugs like Zyban etc. which can easily go over $150 per perscription with 6 perscriptions being needed for succesful quitting. The Governor knows that the poor are more likely to smoke and this is a direct tax on them. There has to be a better way to fix the problems in Frankfort (Kentucky's Capitol) than to tax the poor. To give people an idea of the amount this tax will affect the poor, here is the following breakdown:

Smoke one pack a day. Cost of tax $.40 per day. Cost over 10 years $1,400. And this tax will burden those who already choose food over healthcare. Not to mention that many smoke more than a pack per day.

The tax increase of over 1000% seems extreme. Especially when it affects the poor more than anyone else.

Related News Links:
(1)www.wkyt.com
(2)www.uky.edu
(3)www.kypost.com


[edit on 7-1-2005 by Banshee]

are you serious, you really think it targets poor people? they just passed the same law in colorado and it was 60 cents a pack.
Colorado $68,089
Kentucky $54,030
thats the average household income of a family of 4.

as you can see the average income in kentucky is about 20% less, but the tax is
33% less. i cant tell you the ratio of rich to poor that smoke in colorado but it seems to me that each state is taxing smokes to make the state better and discourage the act of smoking. i dont think it has anything to do with who's rich and who's poor, except for the tobacco companies, who were rich anyway.

Hmmm, lets see I'm poor. Should I spend my $5.00 on a pack of smokes( that will last me a day) or a case of Romon Noodles (that would last me a month) and keep my stomach full. I'll go with the smokes to satisfy my drug habit and I don't care that I know it will kill me from lung cancer. I will also smoke around my 7 children in our (insert mobile living quarters here)

Ignorance is bliss.

I have mixed feelings about this, if it turns out that many poor and other smokers will decide to stop smoking because it's too expensive, that might improve the health of the population, however if they keep smoking and their children have to do without a lousy christmass present or a new pants , that's not a pretty thought, but ultimately, smoking is a free choice and you can decide yourselve if you are willing to pay the price in terms of money / health for smoking...

How do you like your Kentucky Chicken, Smoked or Fried?

[edit on 7-1-2005 by Countermeasures]

Originally posted by Countermeasures
I have mixed feelings about this, if it turns out that many poor and other smokers will decide to stop smoking because it's too expensive, that might improve the health of the population, however if they keep smoking and their children have to do without a lousy christmass present or a new pants , that's not a pretty thought, but ultimately, smoking is a free choice and you can decide yourselve if you are willing to pay the price in terms of money / health for smoking...

How do you like your Kentucky Chicken, Smoked or Fried?

[edit on 7-1-2005 by Countermeasures]

you know its funny you say this...
As a smoker and known ex smokers.. I can tell you this.. Timmy still wontr get that new car under the tree.. You know why... just cause u stop paying 50 bucks for a carton of cigerettes, dont mean u get rich like that... the money ends up going elsewhere.. so Timmy still gets the half assed christmas anyway...

Ask any X-smoker here.. they will probably agree with that.

Originally posted by ThichHeaded

the money ends up going elsewhere.. so Timmy still gets the half assed christmas anyway...

Ask any X-smoker here.. they will probably agree with that.

It's a matter of priorities. If you want to ensure that Timmy has that new matchbox car you'll make sure that extra $50 sticks around.

and that's coming from an on -off again smoker