Will cigarette taxes stop people from smoking?

A smoker can kill him self all he wants as long as he does it in his own home and doesn't infest people who doesn't smoke.

Even so, it's not too bright to smoke in the first place.

How can something so bad for your health be a wise course of action?

Doesn't make sense to smoke cigarettes.

Cigarette taxes, collectively, already more than cover all health and other costs related to smoking. In fact, if everyone quit smoking right now, both State and Federal Government would have to immediately raise taxes elsewhere. The surplus is that big. The Federal and State Government lied in their lawsuits and nobody called them on it. Then they pocketed the money by depositing it in the General Fund. Alaska used a tiny bit to run stop smoking ads for kids but not one thin dime went to the victims health care which made the entire suit a lie.

Since the taxes on cigarettes already covered the extra costs, every tax increase since then is punitive in nature. Our government now punishes its citizens for participating in legal activities. It is an attempt by one part of society to impose its beliefs and morals on another and to steal their money in the process. They know if they don't stick it to smokers they will have to pay more taxes so they pretend to care about smokers. Since they got away with this, they are not going to stop. Now taxes are in the works for foods they don't approve of. If you let them run your life and impose their morals upon you; you get a tax break. If you don't live your life by the PC Crowds rules they hit you with punitive taxes.

It's the same as putting someone in jail for committing a legal act and of course the American Public not only fell for it they want more? When they do this to all your favorite foods, and they will, you might change your mind. I think the one they have in mind is trans-fats. You know the same ones in margarine they told us were so good for us (young people wont know about this so look it up). That makes it possible for them to jump to meat and place punitive taxes on meat products. Add sugar or carbohydrates to that and you have most foods.

Another reason this won't work is the black market. This will create a huge criminal underground. Just like Prohibition it will result in more harm than good. Whenever a government legislates morality it always backfires.

My only response to that is

do something about it

Yea thats right type your protests and raise your voice, for it will all be in vain. Do yall even have enough breath in your lungs to march in protest? I sure hope you don't collapse during the event, cuz it will just mean another a-hole smoker has contributed to raising health insurance premiums.

Thanks alot, do us a favor in enjoy your health, and stay out of the hospital.

You know, all this bashing of smokers really sucks.



I can't wait for them to put a tax on caffine so I can tell you to deal with it when you get the jitters from not having your cup of coffee in the morning, or your super can of Jolt. Then I'll be able to say, that because I don't drink anything with caffine in it, you shouldn't be able to either.

No, it won't help. When cig taxes go up, big tobacco lowers the price to keep it on par, the slowly raises the price later on. I'm a smoker, and in my opinion, the only way to get the masses to quit, is to just flat out make it illegal to manufacture, possess, and use it.

They claim that tobacco is the leading cause in lung related illnesses, so outlawing it shouldn't be a problem. After all, pot is illegal, and all you do with pot is sit around and get fat. And there's a known medical use for pot, while tobacco's medical use is slow death.

Yes, the Nazis did work out one good thing with their time. Pity about their other policies really.

I don't like it when people smoke, people seem to think its alright if its in the open air, as if that somehow negates all the effects of it. Well it might dissipate quicker, but that doesn't stop people from breathing it in. Sure the smokers have some rights, but don't the rest of us have a right not to breathe it in? It's been banned or something in premises that sell food, good, but that doesn't stop me from breathing it in. I don't understand why people still smoke. The fact that it's addictive isn't an excuse, there are plenty of ways of stopping.

[edit on 24-5-2007 by apex]

I don't know what people are complaining about.

This is what you voted for last November.

It won't end with cigarettes, either. Just wait for five dollar gas.

I can't wait for them to put a tax on caffine so I can tell you to deal with it when you get the jitters from not having your cup of coffee in the morning, or your super can of Jolt. Then I'll be able to say, that because I don't drink anything with caffine in it, you shouldn't be able to either.

Hey man you and me got something in common, because I cannot wait for that either. The only beverages I drink is water, milk, and juice, and the juice has to be free of corn syrup, high fructose or otherwise.

I gave up pork this year. My only real fallback I guess is chocolate chip cookies, but is that really that bad for you? So long as the chips dont have HFCS, I guess its ok.

I dont even eat potato chips much, strangely I lost my desire for them not long after giving up caffiene... hmmmm

The most striking thing when giving up all that junk is realizing how much extra money you have now.

[edit on 5/25/2007 by DYepes]

About the smoking stereotyping.

Smokers aren't in worse health then people that eat bad, drink alcohol or drink 3 liters of sugar water (coke etc) a day.

Smokers don't necessarely have low long capacity or low endurance (I know plenty of sportive people that smoke and I myself can outlast most people I know in endurance events.

Smokers that don't have a family history of cancers have about as much chance of getting a lung decease as people working in factories and less chance then the many people that are unknowingly working in a building thats layden with asbestos.

Smokers that don't have a family history of heart desease have about as much chance of heart attacks as people who eat fatty foods, fastfood, loads of meat and other bad foods.

If your already geneticaly predisposed of getting any of these ailments, smoking MIGHT increase your chances or speed up your chances of getting it, but its still only on par with the other above mentioned reasons people get these ailments.

I always have to laugh when some smuck that drinks himself to a vomit comet state every friday and/or saterday evening telling me I'm gona die from smoking.

I have to laugh even harder when some nasty fat smuck is churning down another burger outside on the terras at McDonalds and bitches at me, someone who comes there maybe 1ce a year, that I'm smoking OUTSIDE 20 FEET away from him.

Sometimes I wish they simply got a coronary or accute liver failure right on the spot there.