New York – New York State sells more bootlegged cigarettes than any state, with 60.9 percent of the cigarettes sold secreted into its borders improperly, according to a report released on Thursday.
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Arizona and New Mexico also had high rates of smuggled cigarettes, at 54.4 percent and 53.0 percent, respectively, according to the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C., business-oriented tax research organization.
New York has higher tobacco taxes than any other state, at $4.35 per pack. That does not include a local New York City tax of $1.50 per pack, the group said.
“Dramatic increases in state cigarette taxes have yielded additional revenue for priorities like public health, but have also fueled the rise of organized crime and law enforcement corruption,” said Tax Foundation economist Scott Drenkard in a statement.
The foundation used data from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Michigan think-tank.
Cigarettes can be bootlegged by bringing in lower-priced packs from other states, counterfeiting state tax stamps, hijacking trucks or bribing officials to ignore illegal shipments.
States, cities and the federal government have hiked taxes on tobacco products in order to raise revenue and encourage smokers to quit.
A USA Today analysis found in September that a 39 cent federal cigarette tax hike signed by President Barack Obama in 2009 contributed to at least 3 million more people giving up the habit.
makes sense since we have the highest cigarette tax
I just goes to show you, tax abuses by the government only breed contempt and force everyone to look for alternatives, even if it means committing crimes.
FACT: You can import 200 cigarettes per person per day DUTY FREE for personal use. There are many sites online that can facilitate this for you. That is FEDERAL LAW.
There is no need to engage in illegal activities to avoid the communist, abusive government taxes that your non-smoking friends voted for. You see, when the self-righteous non-smokers get on their high-horse and insist on using the tax code to FORCE you to change your behavior, all they really do is create opportunities for the criminal underworld.
It’s no wonder to me that higher taxes are gasoline for black markets.
That’s right who in their right mind is going to bend over and pay $12 a pack when they sell it in Virginia for 5?
Of course, it has the highest taxes.
Guess thats what happens when people feel robbed by their officials through excessive taxes they cant afford.
I meant to say “self-righteous” in my earlier post #7 .