New York – If this doesn’t make you quit, nothing will.
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With a new 62 cent federal tax on cigarettes added this week with the passage of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program law, the new price of a pack of cigarettes will soar past $10 in Manhattan.
The NYC price is higher than anywhere in the country and more than twice the national average. And beginning April 1, two-thirds of that cost will be made up of city, state and federal taxes.
Of course, even if you can afford to buy a pack, where would you smoke it?
Michael Seilback of the American Lung Association of New York state, says the added costs are a good thing, and may help cut down on the 35,000 smoking-related deaths in the state every year, and some $1.7 billion in future health costs.
On the other hand, the taxes could be so effective that everyone quits, and there’s no money for state, federal and city health programs.
Not to worry about that last one, Gloomberg will always find what to tax you. This is the biggest nanny state ever created.
I don’t believe for a minute that New Yorkers will pay $10.00 per pack. There must be a thriving black market in cigarettes. You can get cigarettes from all over the place for less than half that, including internet sales.
that wont stop smoking in yerushalayim!
quit smoking now and bloomberg will never make that money
I wish taxes were so high when I was a bochur so I never would have started. By the time I quit many years later I was going thru two packs a day.
I hope they keep raising the taxes on these things so one day so one day they will be expensive for younger bochrim to schnor them off others.
Make it $20.00 a pack and I’ll vote for Bloomberg forever.
I think ita a great idea! They should hike the tax on alcohol as well!
Cigarettes should cost 10 times that. It’s disgusting that the Rebbaim will come up with every kind of Chumra to prevent “dangers” to our neshoma, but when it comes to all of our health (and endangering your and others health is also an aveirah FYI), they won’t even say a word.
And before you say “Oy, but it is too hard to stop smoking, and my Rebbe knows that it’s too hard for people.” – Yes it is hard, so nu? It’s hard to not eat treif, it’s so plentiful it’s everywhere, and much cheaper than kosher, but we still keep kosher. The sooner the Rebbaim take a real stand on getting rid of this poison the sooner we will all be free of this disgusting issue.
not that i condone smoking, but my husband gets his from out of state……whenever people go to florida or verginia, he has them bring him back a few cartons
I love these stories. I don’t smoke, but I love the sanctimonious liberals who want to raise the taxes on cigarettes. If you hate them so much, ban them. But they won’t because they want their dirty fingers on the tax money. Off course, there is, or at least was, a strong tobacco lobby. It was a very important crop to America when she was a young nation.
But I smell a rat. The government used the tobacco settlement to extort money from the tobacco companies, in the name of the children and medical care for those harmed by the bad stuff in cigarettes. They sold lots of bonds, tax free municipal ones, to fiancne the settlemtn. But the states stole the money for other things, which was bound to happen. Governments make stealing from others legal.
why do you must buy cigarettes? they don’t even have a Hechsher. do Rabbonim assur it? no! they Are Mamish Treif. if you can put these cigarettes in your mouth, you might as well eat Treif. why don’t Rabbonim say something? they are supposed to role models.
for your information this tax is federal meaning it will affect all fifty states including duty free and indian reservations. ny city did this 7 years ago and with a much bigger percentage and all it did was increase tax on 1/5 of new yorkers and increased ten fold the contraband and illegal sales . the city then promised they willcrack down on the bootlegers many retailers tried numerous time to call many other agencies including nypd nys inspectors but to no avail they are only busy sending kids that are 10 days short of their 18th birthday but look like they are 30 to ticket stores for selling to minors. first offense $1300
the state followed and also increased their tax last year just to stuff up their coffins NOBODY STOPPED SMOKING ITS ALL ABOUT MONEY
you don’t need rabunim for such stupid things. If you feel it is not safe for you quit on your own! what are you people babies? rabunim for this rabunim for chasuna takunis if you can’t afford it don’t smoke and don’t make fancy weddings us your own brains and wil power nobody can control you as much as you yourself. FYI I smoke and so do most of the dr. that treat patients in hospitals like memorial. if you don’t believe me go there and look what’s going on
I wont comment on this tax but I do want to address all the anti smokers out there.
Smoking in yeshivas will stop when the girls simply wont date a smoker. If the Bais Yaakov maydlich were educated as to the dangers of smoking and were firm on non giving a smoker the time of day, you will see the % of smokers go down drasticly.
I noticed when I lived in Dayton,OH, that in the poorest part of the city the convenience stores had open packs of cigs for individual per stick sales. ( I don’t believe that cigarettes are labeled for indivdual sale) Maybe this is a way for people to cut down, on both the cost and the addiction- to just go to the store and buy one cigarette at a time when really “needed”. ($0.45 a piece?)
Do the ‘HABIB” (Seven/Eleven) stores sell cigarettes in these small portions in NY? I don’t smoke ( other than occassional good quality premium cigar) , but I don’t think they sell the cigs like this here in FL.
single cigarettes aka loosies are illegal in ny the bs reason is because their is no warnig on each stick
Cigarette Addiction = Heroin Drug Addiction
No Shiduch In My Mishpucha For Drug Addicts