Smoking tax raised
Nicholas Francis
Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: Opinion
With Georgia's influx of state revenues dwindling and the rest of the nation's economy sinking, many lawmakers are looking for every possible way to gain much-needed income from the people they represent.
Due to the fact that the majority of U.S. citizens are non-smokers, any politician with half of a brain (the smarter half) knows that upsetting the minority isn't a major cause for concern in a democratic society.
This is why the idea of increasing tax rates on cigarettes and other tobacco products has become such a popular method for governments to increase revenue.
I will freely admit that smoking is a terrible habit that kills hundreds of people every day, and the idea of children taking up this horrendous habit is absolutely appalling.
However, our government's belief that the use of certain substances can be decreased through taxation is dangerously misguided. Recent anti-smoking campaigns nation-wide have focused on the idea that more expensive cigarettes will create fewer smokers in the future. Strangely enough, this kind of rationale is prevailing with little opposition in most states.
The kind of people that believe government control can influence citizens' lives for the better are the same type of people who support the "War on Drugs," the "War on Terror" and whatever else the government has lately declared war on.
Everyone knows that government prohibition and taxation are not effective deterrents when it comes to keeping people from buying whatever it is that they choose to pay for.
Since the beginning of April, 2009, a pack of name-brand cigarettes has cost around $5 in our state. Although this is a record-high price, most people who have smoked cigarettes for a significant portion of their lives have not managed to "kicked the habit."
The only accomplishment that new cigarette taxes will ever achieve is that they will make more funds available to the lawmakers who continually choose to increase the taxes.
Due to the fact that the majority of U.S. citizens are non-smokers, any politician with half of a brain (the smarter half) knows that upsetting the minority isn't a major cause for concern in a democratic society.
This is why the idea of increasing tax rates on cigarettes and other tobacco products has become such a popular method for governments to increase revenue.
I will freely admit that smoking is a terrible habit that kills hundreds of people every day, and the idea of children taking up this horrendous habit is absolutely appalling.
However, our government's belief that the use of certain substances can be decreased through taxation is dangerously misguided. Recent anti-smoking campaigns nation-wide have focused on the idea that more expensive cigarettes will create fewer smokers in the future. Strangely enough, this kind of rationale is prevailing with little opposition in most states.
The kind of people that believe government control can influence citizens' lives for the better are the same type of people who support the "War on Drugs," the "War on Terror" and whatever else the government has lately declared war on.
Everyone knows that government prohibition and taxation are not effective deterrents when it comes to keeping people from buying whatever it is that they choose to pay for.
Since the beginning of April, 2009, a pack of name-brand cigarettes has cost around $5 in our state. Although this is a record-high price, most people who have smoked cigarettes for a significant portion of their lives have not managed to "kicked the habit."
The only accomplishment that new cigarette taxes will ever achieve is that they will make more funds available to the lawmakers who continually choose to increase the taxes.
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