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Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Here's where Democrats piss me off:

In order to fund the S-CHIP program, Democrats will increase the tax on the "pariah class" of citizens who smoke cigarettes.

This will impact 45 million smokers and it's a tax that is very visible - noticed every time a (frequent) purchase is made. The tax is extremely regressive given the demographics of smokers and it isn't for smoking-related healh costs (which the current federal+state taxes already cover).

It's a pure moralist pose. And I don't like it.

Reminds me of a (failed) proposal by a California state legislator who wanted to increase taxes on beer and pornography. This taxing of the reprobrate is a coward's move. No guts to tax wealth (e.g. property) or income. Screw that.

How is Democrats targeting cigarette smokers for moral reasons any different than Republicans opposing gay-marriage for moral reasons?

posted by Quiddity at 1/07/2009 07:08:00 AM

4 comments

The democrats are doing it for the money. Smokers are a defenseless target because they have to have their cigarettes to avoid physical suffering. It's nothing but raw, aggressive power.

By Anonymous, at 1/07/2009 6:29 PM

because they have to have their cigarettes to avoid physical suffering

Yeah, 'cause emphysema and lung cancer are just romps in the park compared to paying a few cents more for a pack of coffin nails.

If smokers don't want to pay more, they can do what I did — put an end to a 24-year addiction to nicotine.

By Anonymous, at 1/08/2009 8:35 AM

IIRC raising taxes on cigarettes is somewhat effective at discouraging younger people (who have less cash on hand) from becoming addicted.

By Anonymous, at 1/08/2009 11:53 AM

Money spent on cigarettes is wasted.

By Anonymous, at 1/08/2009 5:34 PM