Pipe Tobacco Tax Increase (775%)!

CresentSon

CresentSon

Over 1,000 Posts
As some may know, I enjoy a nice English tobacco from time to time. It is hard enough for me to find a good local tobacco, but now it will be harder. I got this in an email from a shop in Springfield, MO. The hits keep on coming.

News!!!

If you haven't heard, there is a new bill being reviewed by a Congressional committee to raise the taxes on pipe tobacco. They want to raise the pipe tobacco tax to equal the roll your own cigarette tobacco tax that was passed last year. H.R. 4439, the Tobacco Tax Parity Act of 2010 was introduced on January 13, 2010 and would raise the tax on pipe tobacco 775% from $2.8311 to $24.78 per pound. A 775% tax hike! We have a little more notice on this than we did the previous tax which means we have the opportunity to be heard. Take that opportunity and write your representatives! Whether you're a pipe smoker or not this is your concern. Those people who thought that last year's outrageous tax on cigarette tobacco wasn't their problem because they didn't smoke cigarettes were wrong. It doesn't matter if you're a cigarette smoker, pipe smoker, cigar smoker or don't smoke at all... this is an insane tax. If we don't make ourselves heard and let it be known that we are not ok with being taxed beyond reason on this issue it will only lead to ridiculous taxation on other things. Already there are states taxing tanning booths because tanning is bad for you and a federal tax has been discussed. Higher taxes on soft drinks have also been discussed for the same reason. What's next? Will everything the government deems as unhealthy be made unaffordable through taxation? When does it move to ice cream, doughnuts, beer or red meat?

Below are two links. One is to a PDF file of the actual bill and the other is to a webpage that will allow you to send an email to your congressmen. If you don't want to take the time to write or call your representatives this is an easy form that does all the work for you. All you have to do is enter your name and zip code and it does the rest. Please check it out and make yourself heard.

The bill: http://pipesmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/H.R.%204439%20Bill.pdf

Send an email: http://www.rallycongress.com/stop-the-pipe-tobacco-tax/2826/stop-pipe-tobacco-tax/
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Interestingly you can no longer get organic, additive free tobacco (American Spirit) in Canada anymore because government regulation and taxes has made it unprofitable for the company that sells it.
 
I agree Holiday. Natural quality pipe, cigar, and cigarette tobacco is going to become impossible to find. That will cause more of the cheaper additives to be added, making smoking even more unhealthy. Gotta love government logic.
 
It wasn't bad enough already when "po' folk" cigars (Swisher Sweets, Black & Mild, related garbage) are made from molding low quality leaves filled with molasses soaked craft paper? Or that the states went after the First Nations tobacco shops for not collecting state and federal taxes on their sales? Forgetting that the tribes are supposed to be independent nations and therefore exempt from those taxes.

You watch, next thing they go after is the seed catalogs that sell Nicotiana (flowering tobacco). The catalogs say it is poisonous, so it is currently exempt from government interference. Got news for them, it smokes fine...

A 700+% increase is beyond criminal. The feds take enough of my money already. The state takes way more than its fair share. I have to pay gross weight fees on my bikes to register them (it's a Suzuki, not a frigging Freightliner ya morons). Gas taxes, tire disposal fees (whether you keep the old tire or not doesn't matter), oil disposal fees ( mine is reused in my antique truck)... Fees on soda, candy, deli foods (ready to eat hot case). Stupid high cigarette costs, even on my roll your owns. Tobacco prices haven't gone up for 40 years, it is all taxes.

And people wonder why I want to move back to Spain... if it wasn't for the Euro, I'd be there already (Marxist one world currencies and governing bodies give me nightmares). Wonder if Australia is still recruiting American truck drivers...

Vote the bums out, and if the "Disaster in Chief" doesn't like it, send him back to the third world where he belongs. Marxism didn't work in Russia, don't let it succeed in North America.
 
Wonder if Australia is still recruiting American truck drivers...
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Come on down, mate! A 20 pack of ciagarettes will set you back about AU$12 and something about the same for a pouch [200g/half a pound?] of pipe tobacco. If you want to smoke, go ahead. I personally have replaced my smoking habit when out on the town with that nicotine gum, work at a pharmacy so get it cheap. Plus, I see all the poor buggers who've copped it hard after decades of smoking :(

Cheers fellas, hope you beat that tax. Like it says in the OP, doesn't matter that I'm anti-smoking - its not a cool tax.

- boingk
 
Wasn't it something about tax that lead to a bit of a "disagreement " with the British? ;)
Time to revolt!
The only upside to this tax is that you can decide not to buy pipe tobacco. Now if this kind of tax went on food items or fuel or something we need to buy... :eek:
 
Nanahan Man said:
Wasn't it something about tax that lead to a bit of a "disagreement " with the British? ;)
Time to revolt!
The only upside to this tax is that you can decide not to buy pipe tobacco. Now if this kind of tax went on food items or fuel or something we need to buy... :eek:
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Dont you mean "when" this kind of tax...? ;)
 
Since this is a tax on something the gov deems unsafe I don't think just "decide not to buy" is appropriate. What if motorcycles were next to be found too unsafe for our use. Would you just decide to give your bike up. Pipe smoking is my only true indulgence, and I don't think anyone should be deciding whether or not I get to do it, indirectly or otherwise. If they were to choose to add tax incentives to products designed to help me quit that is one thing. Adding punitive taxes for a specific group for a single activity found to be risky is criminalizing something that is not a crime. Yeah that hacks me off a bit.

The way I see it, I pay for full coverage. If i want to use detrimental fuels then my premiums should cover it. I supply my own health insurance, so I should be able do with my body as I please whether big brother approves or not.
 
CresentSon said:
What if motorcycles were next to be found too unsafe for our use. Would you just decide to give your bike up.
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Where are you from? The already do that up here. Talk to some of the Ontario and BC members if there are any.

Lets see taxes...

30% income tax
5% GST (federal) on everything but some grocery's and the like.
5-7% PST (provincial) on everything else

HST, Talk to some Ontario boys about that one.

Gas
30% Tax give or take where you are

Alcohol
up here a bottle of "Everclear" costs $40, in Idaho it cost me $11

And I stopped looking at my pay stubs a long time ago because I wonder how they say I made $40+ last year and its always a little tight come the next pay cheque.

Then there are environmental taxes on cars, pop bottles and "recycleables" the recycling depo wont return your deposit for.

I HAVE been thinking about Australia and New Zealand . No bloddy -50 there! (and its still commonwealth)
 
No bloddy -50 there! (and its still commonwealth)
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No, but you do get +50'C (122'F!) ;D

Also, we've got a leveled tax scheme whereby the more you earn the more you get taxed. 15c for each $1 over 6k, 30c for each $1 over 35k and 38c for each $1 over 80k. If you earn over 180k then its 45 cents in the dollar. I figure its a reasonably fair system, not perfect but far from disastrous. In some cases low-level income earners can be 'worse off' by having a higher income, primarily because they become ineligible for benefits.

Anywho, don't get me started on alcohol taxes. Bloody Kevin Rudd, the wowser, partied with strippers all he wanted in NY (no joke, it made headlines) then has the hide to up booze taxes and think about censoring the internet! Come on! And thats what you get with a Labour govt.

End rant.

Cheers - boingk
 
boingk said:
No, but you do get +50'C (122'F!) ;D

Also, we've got a leveled tax scheme whereby the more you earn the more you get taxed. 15c for each $1 over 6k, 30c for each $1 over 35k and 38c for each $1 over 80k. If you earn over 180k then its 45 cents in the dollar. I figure its a reasonably fair system, not perfect but far from disastrous. In some cases low-level income earners can be 'worse off' by having a higher income, primarily because they become ineligible for benefits.

Anywho, don't get me started on alcohol taxes. Bloody Kevin Rudd, the wowser, partied with strippers all he wanted in NY (no joke, it made headlines) then has the hide to up booze taxes and think about censoring the internet! Come on! And thats what you get with a Labour govt.

End rant.

Cheers - boingk
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Wow and I thought NoBama was a commie. It sounds like you all hve somebody that's worse.
 
boingk said:
No, but you do get +50'C (122'F!) ;D
Also, we've got a leveled tax scheme whereby the more you earn the more you get taxed. 15c for each $1 over 6k, 30c for each $1 over 35k and 38c for each $1 over 80k. If you earn over 180k then its 45 cents in the dollar. I figure its a reasonably fair system, not perfect but far from disastrous. In some cases low-level income earners can be 'worse off' by having a higher income, primarily because they become ineligible for benefits.
Anywho, don't get me started on alcohol taxes. Bloody Kevin Rudd, the wowser, partied with strippers all he wanted in NY (no joke, it made headlines) then has the hide to up booze taxes and think about censoring the internet! Come on! And thats what you get with a Labour govt.
End rant
Cheers - boingk
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+50, thats beer weather!

We have our income tax system in brackets. If you make from A to B, you pay X% of taxes. Of you make C to D you pay Y% in taxes. Even if you make $100 more than B you are now paying from C to D. Thats where the investing comes in. I have RRSP's (registered retirement savings plan) You put the money away in to this registered portfolio, you can claim that for income tax season and not pay the taxes on that to a certain dollar value. Catch is when you pull out your investment you pay the taxes on it as if it was your current income so you have to be careful how much you draw when you decide to use it. You can also use that money towards a house down payment without penalty if you pay it back in so many years of withdrawing.
 
Wow and I thought NoBama was a commie. It sounds like you all hve somebody that's worse.
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Commie alright, the bugger speaks fluent Chinese. I'm all for Abott in the Liberal party. Bring back the hardass line of spending where we really need it and cutting back where we don't need spending. Its why Howard was around for 12 years.

Basement, those brackets sound crap. Levels make it much more fair, especially if you earn more than your thought you would in a week or are at the low end of a bracket. That investment thing gets covered here by 'capital gains tax', although I think you can surpass that somewhat by holding for a length of time (12~24 months?).

Friggin' taxes! And you know who started the first taxes? The Church.

Goddamn...glad my beer fridge is full this evening - boingk
 
Adding punitive taxes for a specific group for a single activity found to be risky is criminalizing something that is not a crime.
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I'm trying to find where it says this tax was applied because the product is risky.
 
Nanahan Man said:
I'm trying to find where it says this tax was applied because the product is risky.
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Because the bill is worded; to raise the tax rate to that of roll your own tobacco. The original tobacco rate increase and subsequent increases are from a much larger 'sin tax' movement. The same committee suggesting this increase is drafting other increases on products where the only connection is that they are considered less than healthy, ie. tobacco, sugary drinks, tanning.

Not to be presumptive, but if you look at the trends in congress the pattern becomes obvious. That is in addition to the Capitol Hill 'sin tax' label given to certain bills.
 
Fuck it. Im buying an island in international waters and living completely off the grid... Just me, my motorbikes, a boat, and a pet monkey (slash vice president, and minister of tourism) who shall be named General Tso. Anyone is welcome to visit. The only taxes will be paid in whiskey, meat, and "companionship" should you be an attractive lady... I shall call this paradise on Earth, "Yinzerland", and this shall be our national anthem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7BzMZYXB8M

Everyone will get their own home:
aaaaa-1.jpg


And our only export shall be rot gut, moonshine whiskey:
Replica20Moonshine20Still.jpg


Whos comin'?
 
I'm not sure how the political system in Canada or The U.K. work. But, I read or heard somewhere these definitions. A liberal is someone who finds something offensive and trys to force their opinion on everyone else and a conservative is someone who finds something offensive and trys to avoid it. Liberial says I find that TV channel offensive get rid of it. The conservative says change the channel.

The moral of this story is; if you don't like it stay away from it.

Just my other $.02
 
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