tobacco tax HIKE with a capital HIKE

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I saw the price rise after March 12, but not after April 1.

[penguinsscareme]

I saw the price rise after March 12, but not after April 1.

Some retailers are selling out of their on-hand stock at the old price before reordering.  From then on it will reflect the increase.

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Hm, I'll have to stock up, then.

[Moebius Tripp]

I might have to switch to Bugler rollies. 

[Pat McCotter]

I might have to switch to Bugler rollies. 

The tax on rolling tobacco went from $1.09 per pound to $24.78 per pound.

[Pat McCotter]

And remember ... this tax HIKE is to be used to pay for SCHIP. You cannot quit or you will be taking money away from children's health care!

[bigmike]

Grow your own tobacco?

Methinks that is or will soon start.  I know that smuggling to evade sales taxes is already a growth business.  A few years ago they caught some guys smuggling to finance a 'terrorist' organization or something. 
It is only an issue of profit margin versus risk. 

I remember someone telling me that you could only do it legally if you were living on a reservation and even if you didn't care about the law it's pretty difficult to acquire the seeds.

If people aren't going to quit the should make friends with someone that can buy them on a military base and avoid the federal tax altogether.

[KBCraig]

If people aren't going to quit the should make friends with someone that can buy them on a military base and avoid the federal tax altogether.

They might avoid the tax, but they won't save money. Military stores (both the exchange and the commissary system) set their prices based on the price of goods in the surrounding community (undercutting them slightly). Not paying tax means more profit. The commissary is non-profit, but highly "profitable" items subsidize others so they can match prices. All exchange profits go to MWR programs.

The next problem is that states are cracking down on untaxed cigarettes. Tennessee can seize your car if you have more than two cartons of cigarettes without Tennessee tax stamps. They will seize your car and charge you with a felony for 25 or more cartons. Arkansas narrowly defeated a bill that would make it a felony to possess 21 packs (two cartons, plus a pack) of out-of-state cigarettes!    They're going to fine-tune the bill, and it will be back, probably with a different cutoff level.

[thinkliberty]

I might have to switch to Bugler rollies. 

The tax on rolling tobacco went from $1.09 per pound to $24.78 per pound.

I wonder if it's cheaper to drive to an indian reservation in RI to avoid that 24.78 per pound tax.

If you rolled your own and kept a bunch in a freezer...

[John Edward Mercier]

If people aren't going to quit the should make friends with someone that can buy them on a military base and avoid the federal tax altogether.

They might avoid the tax, but they won't save money. Military stores (both the exchange and the commissary system) set their prices based on the price of goods in the surrounding community (undercutting them slightly). Not paying tax means more profit. The commissary is non-profit, but highly "profitable" items subsidize others so they can match prices. All exchange profits go to MWR programs.

The next problem is that states are cracking down on untaxed cigarettes. Tennessee can seize your car if you have more than two cartons of cigarettes without Tennessee tax stamps. They will seize your car and charge you with a felony for 25 or more cartons. Arkansas narrowly defeated a bill that would make it a felony to possess 21 packs (two cartons, plus a pack) of out-of-state cigarettes!    They're going to fine-tune the bill, and it will be back, probably with a different cutoff level.

Sounds like a few States are upset that someone else is shearing the sheep...
Where oh where is the interstate commerce clause, when it could protect individuals... rather than be used against them.