Federal cigarette tax will increase by 62 cents per pack

Well smokers, get ready to dig deeper to support your (our) habit. Obama has signed the law that will increase the federal cigarette tax by 62 cents, effective April 1.

Not only will this inordinately hit the lower wages earners hard, it will put a dent in states efforts and plans to increase their own cigarette taxes.

Federal Cigarette Tax Increase Signed Into Law; Raises Taxes on Families Earning Under $250,000

by Joseph Henchman

President Obama yesterday signed into law H.R. 2, a 4-1/2 year reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (formerly State Children's Health Insurance Program). The bill is estimated to fund health insurance for the existing 7 million beneficiaries, and expand it to a net further 4 million at 300% of the poverty level with the most favorable federal matching funds. (I say "net" because it takes into account children who currently have private insurance, and a smaller number who have Medicaid, who will be induced to drop it and enter the more generous government program.) It had passed the House by a vote of 290-135 and the Senate by a vote of 66-32.
www.taxfoundation.org...

It exposes another lie by Obama - his pledge that "no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase...not any of your taxes."



[edit on 1-3-2009 by jsobecky]

First tax on those under 250,000 per year.

More taxes to come.

Like to see him explain this one.

Too bad the Federal Government restricts advertising for Tobacco Companies.

The first ad I would run would be......

Buy an extra pack.....for the children! They are depending on YOU!

Not a smoker? Might want to give it a try.....for the children! You love children don't you?

That's okay, I saved a lot of money last year by refusing to donate to the Democratic party, so I'll use that money for my smokes. If they go up any higher I'll just stop all my charity donations altogether. I don't feel so nice and charitable anymore anyway.

Out of curiosity, what are you paying for a pack of smokes now?

reply to post by intrepid


South GA....around $3.75 to $4.35 for premium brands ($28-$35 per carton).

A little less for not-so-premium brands.

In NH, $3.99/pack for Marlboro Lights. We have a huge business from Massachusetts, where taxes are much higher.

In Ohio a pack of Marlboro lights are already $4.90.

So now it's gonna go up to $5.50 for a single pack that is just insane.

reply to post by intrepid


Where I'm at in SC, at the Walgreens it is $3.27 and then anywhere from 3.84 to 4.00 dollars for Marlboro, they were just 3.04 at Walgreens like 3 weeks ago, I thought the SCHIP taxes kicked in already but they haven't I see.

well when it happens I will definitely stop smoking, I've done is a few times before but this go around I'll stay that way.

This government doesn't make any sense, they increase tobacco tax to fund health care for the children then in the "stimulus" package there was money allocated to help people stop smoking.

It really doesn't make any sense, no matter what side of the conspiracy fence you sit on.

Already $8 a pack here in Chicago, our local taxes are a bitch, we also have the highest sales tax in the nation.

Good lord... sorry for the anonymous post, down near the st. louis boarder (IL side) packs are 4.75. Will we quit when they raise the prices yet again?.. nope lol

they kinda have us on that one.

A good reason to quit smoking? Like anyone needs another good reason to quit. LOL

I do hate all taxes though!

Originally posted by amazing
A good reason to quit smoking? Like anyone needs another good reason to quit. LOL

I do hate all taxes though!

I think it's about time for me quit... I've been smoking for way too long anyway... looks like April 1st will be my goal.

It's become way too expensive... and my health sucks.

Will be almost exactly 6.00 in Michigan after this goes through.

I'm quitting...I had planned to anyway before the baby is born...but this gives me more incentive to do it earlier.

BTW...if I were a nonsmoker...I'd hope everyone who smokes KEPT smoking...because when they all quit, the government will need to get that revenue back somehow.

Everyone will have to make up for it.

It's all good. The only thing that will come of this is the good ol bootleggin days. I don't know about you guys, but I'm from the hood lol, beer/ciggarette trucks get robbed on a regular. Then every other day a vehicle drives through @ about 2 mph w/ a guy sittin in the trunk exchangin goods for cash. If this is happening now, imagine how it's gonna be when the taxes go up.

$4.35 here and I welcome a higher tax, I'll tell you why. Whenever a non-smoker gives me crap about smoking, I tell them this;

Look, I know it's not good for me. I pay $1.40 in tax on every pack I buy. I have been smoking a pack a day for 15 years. My family has 5 smokers in it that smoke about the same amount. That's about $40,000 dollars in taxes that would have been passed on to you if it wasn't for us smokers.


Don't thank me, I'm just doing my part to help keep your money in your pocket.

$229,207,000.00 That's how much tobacco tax was collected in Colorado in 2006. That's 230 million dollars that non-smokers didn't have to pay in taxes thanks to us.

Your welcome.



[edit on 1-3-2009 by Tiloke]

reply to post by Doomsday 2029


Soon only the wealthy elite will be smoking!

You know, you can buy loose-leaf tobacco, and the filters and roll your own. This isn't like the old days, the finished product looks EXACTLY like a cigarette you'd get out of a pack. A friend who smokes showed them to me.

I think he said that 1000 filters, and enough tobacco for all them (plus the little hand-held machine) was something like $25.

I always smoke rolling tobacco...hell of alot cheaper than buy cigarettes.

Here in Mo where i live the price is anywhere from $1.99 to $3.60

I know some of you are going to say $1.99 a pack how are they that cheap? Well they are that cheap because the government cannot tax them! they come from one of the Indian reservations in OK. But they taste really nasty so i pay $2.79 a pack for pall mall's.

man gotta love those taxes us smokers pay.
gotta pay uncle sugar his sin tax.
gotta pay the state their sin tax
gotta pay the state their sales tax
gotta pay the county their sales tax
gotta pay the city their sales tax.
Yep you read that right Missouri taxes cigarettes twice. But the funny thing is every time any government raises their taxes here cigarettes only go up a few pennies, the stores put them on sale until the distributor cuts prices to make up for the increased taxes. eventually cigarettes will be free here but i'll be paying $5+ a pack in sin taxes lol

and it is cheaper to buy the stuff to roll your own. the first carton of roll your owns is like $25, then its between $18-20 a carton afterward.