Legal Commentary

Cigarette Taxes: Have Another Hit of Fresh Air

By Jeralyn

"Have another hit....of fresh air." (Quicksilver Messenger Service and "Fresh Air" at the closing of the Fillmore in 1971. Here's a version with great audio.)

Cigarette and tobacco taxes go way up Wednesday. Of course, it will hurt the poor and addicted the most. It's also a nanny state move.

You may like it when politicians ban something you hate, but sooner or later they will go after something you like," Reason.tv editor Nick Gillespie says.

[More...]

"Smoking bans in bars and restaurants set the stage for a proliferation of bans that have now reached into our homes."

....The city of Belmont, California, has outlawed smoking in all apartments, condominiums and other multi-unit houses that share walls, ceilings or floors. What's next? To ensure a smoke-free environment, some cities are banning outdoor grilling and barbequing.

Some states are moving to ban smoking in private vehicles. Smoking may be harmful to your health, but I'm not in favor of the government regulating it to this extent. Individuals should have the right to make choices affecting their own bodies, even dumb ones, without fear the Government will criminalize their decisions.

Not to mention, as the AP reports, a big increase in tax evasion is expected "through old-fashioned smuggling or by Internet purchase from abroad."

Here's the tax schedule.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on March 29, 2009 (boomark / email).