Is this true?

[rgordin]

From an on-line news article:

"By comparison, the House bill to increase S-CHIP funding that was passed Wednesday night raises the 5-cent-a-cigar tax to 33 percent, and sets the cap on a single cigar at no more than $1."

If this is accurate, there is hope. Perhaps we should be working toward a livable compromise.

[kjjm4]

Yes, that's true. But it's still unacceptable. Sure, when you buy a single, an extra buck doesn't seem too bad, but the extra 20 bucks on a box pretty much precludes me from buying boxes from U.S. sources ever again.

[coryj]

This is just the house bill... the senate bill is the one with the $10 cap and 20,000% increase. They will likely be coming to a compromise somewhere in the middle. The $1 per cigar tax is somewhat reasonable, but I would say its a little on the high end, and the compromise will likely put it somewhere higher.

[Budprince]

This is just the house bill... the senate bill is the one with the $10 cap and 20,000% increase. They will likely be coming to a compromise somewhere in the middle. The $1 per cigar tax is somewhat reasonable, but I would say its a little on the high end, and the compromise will likely put it somewhere higher.


Coryj's right. And this is outrageous. Fascism at it's best! :sb

[Twill413]

at least Bush has vowed to veto this proposed tax hike. Say what you want about the man, but saying you are going to veto an underprivileged childrens medical bill takes some cohones.

[coryj]

at least Bush has vowed to veto this proposed tax hike. Say what you want about the man, but saying you are going to veto an underprivileged childrens medical bill takes some cohones.

He is vetoing the start of socialized healthcare... they made it for the underpriviledged children so that he doesn't come out of this looking very good. However, I think even he knows that he has little chance of coming out of this presidency as a "hero" in public opinion at this point.

[kjjm4]

Cojones and the knowledge that you're not running for re-election and your approval rating can't get much worse. :chk

[Twill413]

He is vetoing the start of socialized healthcare... they made it for the underpriviledged children so that he doesn't come out of this looking very good.

Partisan politics at its finest. Bah to socialized healthcare.

[glking]

at least Bush has vowed to veto this proposed tax hike. Say what you want about the man, but saying you are going to veto an underprivileged childrens medical bill takes some cohones.


The bill defines children to include individuals up to age 25 and covering those children up to 400% of the poverty level. A 25 year old making $80,000 a year is not underprivelidged children.

[tiptone]

at least Bush has vowed to veto this proposed tax hike. Say what you want about the man, but saying you are going to veto an underprivileged childrens medical bill takes some cohones.

Too bad they've got the necessary 2/3 vote to override his veto.

[cigarmonkey]

I have encouraged everyone to write to their congressmen. I belive Bush will veto the SCHIP bill due to the fact it is the first step to national healthcare. However, the cigar smokers have been targeted. We are preceived to have money and we are few in number, therefore we can not raise that much opposition. If the liberal do-gooders don't use your cigar money for this program, they will use it on the next and so on. The cigar smokers are on the radar. Heaven help us all. Stop the madness and write your Senators. Increase our share of voice!

A small example of what can happen if you continue to pressure the right people. Club Stogie made the news. Check it out.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/07/25/Business/Senator_caught_in_cig.shtml

[Twill413]

The bill defines children to include individuals up to age 25 and covering those children up to 400% of the poverty level. A 25 year old making $80,000 a year is not underprivelidged children.

Yea I heard that on Rush today. Kinda ridiulous that some making that kind of money with a wife of the same age and a couple of kids would ALL qualify under the proposed bill.

[FrankB]

Fellow apes,The logic behind the excise tax is so skewed as to be laughable.It only works so long as there is a product to tax.If it is implemented the production of cigars will drastically decrease,the cost of cigars will be prohibitive to many of us,and the expected revenue from the taxation simply wont be there.That is pretty damn obvious to anyone that understands the nature of the industry.Unfortunately logic and government can hardly be used in the same sentence. FrankB

[c2000]

Give these kids the same thing I got when I was a kid--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NOTHING..


Jerry in Minnesota.

[Sisyphus]

Too bad they've got the necessary 2/3 vote to override his veto.

I don't think so. The House vote of 225-204 is not enough to override a veto. My guess is that whatever comes out of this will be something quite scaled down from the current legislative proposals, and may not include a tobacco tax at all. At least I'm optimistic.

-Ken

[Jbailey]

Give these kids the same thing I got when I was a kid--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NOTHING..


Jerry in Minnesota.

:r:r:r

[BigVito]

they don't care about the children, they are using this to decrease and ban smoking.

[papajohn67]

Tobacco is an easy target with 1 in 4 Americans still smoking. The logical solution if you want to give-a-way the farm in the way of increased social programs for the "children" is to tax the things that are making them unhealthy, i.e junk food, sugar laced stuff like soda and the other garbage they eat + get them off their ass and get some exercise. Or do what they are suppose to do and spread the tax accross the whole poplulation.

Really pisses me off to think that some poor slob who makes 20K a year and enjoys cigars will have to help subsidise upper income famlies.

[Sisyphus]

Really pisses me off to think that some poor slob who makes 20K a year and enjoys cigars will have to help subsidise upper income famlies.

You got that right. Actually, the whole idea of structuring taxes on the citizenry for purposes of social engineering is misguided, in my opinion.

-Ken

[4WheelVFR]

they don't care about the children, they are using this to decrease and ban smoking.

That's a very large part of it IMO. If they were taxing happy meals, candy, and soda, it'd be an entirely different scenario.

[OtterAKL4987]

On a lighter note, what the f is cigarmonkey.com? Sounds like Louie (CS mascot) was messin around in the jungle and got a lady primate knocked up, some time later...cigarmonkey.com:ss

[pathman]

I think they should tax anybody that orders fancy coffee-drinks at the drive-through and extra $5 per cup.

[ATLHARP]

From an on-line news article:

"By comparison, the House bill to increase S-CHIP funding that was passed Wednesday night raises the 5-cent-a-cigar tax to 33 percent, and sets the cap on a single cigar at no more than $1."

If this is accurate, there is hope. Perhaps we should be working toward a livable compromise.

F*ck the livable compromise and defeat the bill. Congress has no right to tax tobacco period. That should be first and foremost on the minds of most Americans. This is an unjust power grab done by those who neither believe in nor respect the Constitution. For my part any Senator or Representative that supports this bill should be thrown out of office. I am sick of Congress implying "fees" when they have no legal or Constitutional right to do so.:2

ATL

[BlueHavanaII]

From an on-line news article:

"By comparison, the House bill to increase S-CHIP funding that was passed Wednesday night raises the 5-cent-a-cigar tax to 33 percent, and sets the cap on a single cigar at no more than $1."

If this is accurate, there is hope. Perhaps we should be working toward a livable compromise.

A $1 per cigar increase will probably be a $2-$3 increase in MSRP once margins are accounted for. A compromise would be an increase on the cigar tax proportional to the increase in cigarette tax, which would be a 13 cent cap!

Jim

[fordkustom]

According to the new york times today this is a ploy to get money earmakred for hospitals in certain districts. Apparently the wording allocate funds to particular hospitals as not to give names but more by vicinity?

[dennis569]

NO COMPROMISE!
Didn't we just defeat the open borders bunch of assholes? We can do it again. Congress doesn't have a veto proof majority on this but I'm not comfortable trusting the president to veto, and I voted for the man.
Pester the shit out of your congressional liars!
Here in Nevada we have senator Reid who voted for it.
Senator Ensign voted against it.
I was really disappointed in my representative Dean Heller, a republican
who voted for it.
Read a book titled Unintended Consequences by John Ross.
God, guns, and guts. (and cigars)