Smoking taxation has poor foundation
Adam Brown
Issue date: 4/6/09 Section: Opinion
In addition to a 62-cent federal tax increase on cigarettes to fund health care for poor children that took effect April 1, Illinois lawmakers are considering an additional $1 tax over the next two years. The Chicago Tribune reports, "A state senate committee on Tuesday approved legislation that would increase Illinois' 98-cent tax on cigarette packs by 50 cents this year and another 50 cents next year to pay down the states back log of Medicaid Bills."
I am by no means a fan of smoking and smokers, but does anyone else see a problem with this? Why should smokers have to be the ones who pay for someone else's bills?
There are many poor excuses used to justify this unfair tax. It will reduce health risks for smokers or those in contact with smoke, help people quit and keep the young from starting.
Where is the logic in this? If people really wanted to quit they already would have, and children are not going to be scared away from smoking by having to pay more for cigarettes.
I have a suggestion for a new fair tax, since we live in a politically correct and fair world. Since the cigarette tax is being justified because it's dangerous to one's and others' health, raise taxes for those who live near or eat at fast food restaurants to help provide free college to the homeless. Are these individuals any less deserving for assistance than someone else that has needs not being met?
The Centers for Disease Control lists strokes as the number three cause of death in America. The CDC estimates that each year about 700,000 Americans will suffer from a stroke with about 167,000 stroke related deaths each year. Outlined in an American Heart Association news release, a study presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference found that people who lived in neighborhoods packed with fast food restaurants are more likely to suffer from a stroke. I understand cigarettes are a direct health risk resulting in a CDC estimated average of 438,000 deaths annually, but why not tax all unhealthy habits?
I am by no means a fan of smoking and smokers, but does anyone else see a problem with this? Why should smokers have to be the ones who pay for someone else's bills?
There are many poor excuses used to justify this unfair tax. It will reduce health risks for smokers or those in contact with smoke, help people quit and keep the young from starting.
Where is the logic in this? If people really wanted to quit they already would have, and children are not going to be scared away from smoking by having to pay more for cigarettes.
I have a suggestion for a new fair tax, since we live in a politically correct and fair world. Since the cigarette tax is being justified because it's dangerous to one's and others' health, raise taxes for those who live near or eat at fast food restaurants to help provide free college to the homeless. Are these individuals any less deserving for assistance than someone else that has needs not being met?
The Centers for Disease Control lists strokes as the number three cause of death in America. The CDC estimates that each year about 700,000 Americans will suffer from a stroke with about 167,000 stroke related deaths each year. Outlined in an American Heart Association news release, a study presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference found that people who lived in neighborhoods packed with fast food restaurants are more likely to suffer from a stroke. I understand cigarettes are a direct health risk resulting in a CDC estimated average of 438,000 deaths annually, but why not tax all unhealthy habits?
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