Fight the cigar tax
So, if you haven't heard, the SCHIP -- which is basically extending health insurance to some children -- will be drastically increasing the cigar tax, from the approximately 4.5 cents a cigar it is now to a maximum of $10 a cigar.
Now, I got no problem with health insurance for kids or whathaveyou...but the potential devastation to an industry by a 20,000%+ increase in tax on a product doesn't necessarily mean it's a "gimme" for revenue - it'll simply lower sales (probably dramatically).
On the other hand, what's one of the biggest contributors towards childhood obesity? High fructose corn syrup. Why not tax the heck outta that?
Write in to complain.
Don't write in to me to say "well, you shouldn't smoke cigars anyways" because, yes, I know they're bad for you, and no, I wouldn't mind paying a bit more in additional taxes on them - but not THAT much more.
(PS - still off caffeine!)
Now, I got no problem with health insurance for kids or whathaveyou...but the potential devastation to an industry by a 20,000%+ increase in tax on a product doesn't necessarily mean it's a "gimme" for revenue - it'll simply lower sales (probably dramatically).
On the other hand, what's one of the biggest contributors towards childhood obesity? High fructose corn syrup. Why not tax the heck outta that?
Write in to complain.
Don't write in to me to say "well, you shouldn't smoke cigars anyways" because, yes, I know they're bad for you, and no, I wouldn't mind paying a bit more in additional taxes on them - but not THAT much more.
(PS - still off caffeine!)