Yet this makes me mad.
This is what it's come to. This is where the Republic has wound up; a never-ending quest for suitably unpopular activities to tax into oblivion to pay for ill-thought, graft- and incompetence-riddled, un-Constitutional programs that exist merely to buy votes from the soft of heart and soft of head.
Congress -- meeting in smoke-free rooms -- is looking for an extra $35 billion to $50 billion for the state children's health insurance program [which is none of Congress's business according to the Constitution] and hopes to raise most of it through excise taxes on products like tobacco.
...
There is currently 4.8 cents-per-cigar tax cap but under the proposed bill, taxes on "large cigars," a category that includes all but the tiny cigars sold in packs of 20 like cigarettes, would rise to 53 percent.
A version of the bill being considered by the Senate Finance Committee sets the maximum tax per cigar at $10.
Jerks.
And they can watch tax revenues from cigars DROP after the RATE goes up, too.
ReplyDeleteBe angry at the sun for setting...
ReplyDeleteThe good news is Bush promised to veto this POS. The bad news is that enough jackasses thought it was a good idea that it made it this far.
ReplyDeleteThe last time something was taxed so utterly disproportionately, the fishes in Boston Harbor all enjoyed the worlds largest cup of tea. Having just invested in a rather sizable humidor, I'd encourage everyone to contact their congresscritters and remind them that we still know where the Indian costumes are.
And here I was thinking "Oh God, he can't have read this yet, the living room walls still have paint."
ReplyDeleteGood grief. Ten bucks is more than we pay per cigar unless they're REALLY good cigars!
As someone who enjoys bourbon, I can sympathize. About half the price of it are taxes.
ReplyDeleteWhat are they going to come after when all that tobacco tax money dries up? Snack food, I'm guessing.
It's very crafty how our legislators cobble such unconscionable confiscations of wealth onto the issues that excite God's little hall monitors. Schmucks, the lot of 'em.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that this tax is so a family of four (with "children" as old as 25) and a gross income of ~$84K won't have to buy health insurance. I'm rapidly moving over to the "rope,tree, some assembly required" column.
ReplyDeleteWonder how much tax they'd charge for this cigar.
ReplyDeleteThis photo is one I took at the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Please note that we do not know that the rooms they are meeting in are smoke-free. We also do not know that the gongressrats are buying taxed cigars. We do know that the State Department has a 50 cigar allowance for cuban cigars if they have any reason to be in Cuba. Yes, I know this for a fact due to a friend who did a stint with the UN in Cuba and qualified for the State Dept. allowance.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many 'fact-finding missions' etc... happen each year.
At this rate, it's going to be cheaper to fly to the Domican and buy my cigars directly.
ReplyDeleteHooray.