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Big Tobacco to smokers: Bend over

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by outofplace, Mar 30, 2009.

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  1. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    http://www.postgazette.com/pg/09089/959296-84.stm

    My apologies if this has been brought up elsewhere, but the major tobacco apparently companies raised their prices recently because the taxes on tobacco are going up.

    The taxes per pack of cigarettes are going up 39 cents to $1.01 and you, the addicted, carcinogen-sucking consumer get to pay for it. Enjoy!

    Am I thrilled that the tobacco companies are getting hit with higher taxes, with the money going to healthcare initiatives? Yup, but I'm not bringing this up to get into the politics of it.

    Am I at all surprised that the smokers are the ones who are going to be stuck taking it up the back door? Nope. Tobacco companies survive by getting people addicted to a disgusting product that causes cancer, raises blood pressure and damages lungs. They know they can fuck smokers over and many of them will keep coming back for their fix.

    Sorry if this sounds like gloating to the smokers. I'm a pain in the ass to begin with and 100 times worse on this topic. The cost of cigarettes has already been far too high for my family, and I'm not talking about what was paid for a pack at the store.
     
  2. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    In Michigan, the tax on loose tobacco went up from from $1 per pound to $24 per pound.
     
  3. Football_Bat

    Football_Bat Well-Known Member

    I remember when I was in Europe in the early 90s, that a pack of cigarettes cost $3 and I thought that was insanely high.
     
  4. MartinEnigmatica

    MartinEnigmatica Active Member

    Over how long a period? Or is that in just one jump?
     
  5. Big Buckin' agate_monkey

    Big Buckin' agate_monkey Active Member

    Sean: You know you'd be better off shoving that cigarette up your ass.

    Will: Yeah, it really gets in the way of my yoga.
     
  6. Cosmo

    Cosmo Well-Known Member

    Same thing in Virginia.
     
  7. Big Circus

    Big Circus Well-Known Member

    Eh, I always thought people who rolled their own cigarettes were kind of douchey anyway.
     
  8. CentralIllinoisan

    CentralIllinoisan Active Member

    So, tobacco companies sell poison to consumers and cost is the most important method by which consumers are being fucked?
     
  9. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    Not at all. I've gone off on rants about the evils of tobacco many times on this site. The entire industry is a disgrace as far as I'm concerned.

    I brought this up for two reasons. One, I applaud anything that might reduce smoking or hurt the tobacco industry, including taxing the shit out them. Two, I thought it was worth pointing out that this is just one more example of the tobacco industry taking advantage of its addicts/customers, by passing the expense of the higher taxes right along.
     
  10. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    One jump. I think tobacco companies had a politician in their back pocket for that.

    If people can't buy the stuff cheap enough to roll it on their own, they will buy them in packs and big tobacco will make more money.
     
  11. Mystery_Meat

    Mystery_Meat Guest

    I thought maybe we were seeing the evolution of the cigarette.
     
  12. Beef03

    Beef03 Active Member

    Not going to argue the evils of tobacco. I will say this is nothing new for any company that has its taxes increase (beit alcohol, gas, etc.) it always gets passed on to the consumer. Also I'm not sure how much of an effect it will have on the numbers that actually quit smoking. A friend's mom who has been smoking for I'm going to say 30 or 40 years, said at the last big increase that "They could make it $20 a pack and I still won't quit."
     
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