Nys

[tjf67]

Upped there taxes on smokes by a $1.25 per pack. What a crock. Those sons on beatches need to figure out there financial crisis in other way than taxing smokes. If they were using the money for cancer research then you may be able to sell me on it. Heck if they took the tax money from all the smokes sold and put that into research there would be a solution by now.

Its a cheap low blow to smokers.

 

[ctenidae]

The last unprotected minority in America

 

[Greg]

Time to quit, me thinks.

 

[krisskis]

Time to quit, me thinks.

I agree 110%. But let me tell you, as a smoker, its much harder than you think. As soon as shit hits the fan and i get stressed out, i reach for a smoke. I quit both times i was preggers and for 8 months after while i was nursing, but always went back to it. My father died of lung cancer at age 62, he had quit 20 yrs before, so you think i would have incentive to quit. When he was sick i did quit, but after his death i started up again. My kids are always on my ass about it too. But then, they are usually the cause of most of my stress :-( I bought some yesterday, knowing that the price will go up today and got a prescription from a doc at work for Chantix, which a few people i know used and so far its working for them. I usually just go the cold turkey route, but i'll see how it goes. I'm such a loser.

 

[Warp Daddy]

Guys PLEASE QUIT -- i really know just how hard it is to do so . Been there done that -------- The first 3 weeks is Hell

.My first attempt lasted a year in 1970. Then a favorite uncle died and someone OFFERED me one @ the wake and i caved .

But in 1975 when i was flat on my back in the hospital with kidney stone #1 then i decided to HELL with it --the evidence is too damn strong and dammit i WILL succeed .


I WAS a 3 pack a day habit also smoked cigars and a pipe then i QUIT COLD TURKEY 33 years ago --the quality of life you gain is amazing

 

[Greg]

I agree 110%. But let me tell you, as a smoker, its much harder than you think.

I used to smoke...

 

[deadheadskier]

Unfortunately that's the way society works when dealing with taxes. You either raise taxes on products everyone needs and really can't say a thing about or you raise taxes on products only a minority of the population uses. The latter the state of Maine is masterful at.

Maine already did that with tobacco and cites a decrease in the number of smokers as a result when there really is no way in telling how many people now purchase their cigarettes in NH where they are $4 a pack as opposed to $6.75 here.

Just recently they put an additional tax on beer, wine and soda to help fund the state low income health care program. They also said increasing the tax on beer will reduce underage drinking :roll:

In both tobacco and booze/soda, only a minority of people are going to stand up and fight it.

 

[BeanoNYC]

Poor man's tax. I can understand it in countries with socialized medicine as the cost to care for a smoker is higher. Without socialized medicine in the States, I feel it's unfair to tax so much.

I quit smoking in November of '07, but smoked a bit in Atlantic City recently after I put my grandmother to sleep and headed to the roulette table. I still have the unfinished pack. I'm surprised I didn't have a full relapse.

 

[drjeff]

The lovely and brilliant legislature in CT unless they act in a special session next week to repeal it will be increasing our already nation leading gas tax by 7.5 to 7.7 cents a gallon depending on if it's gas or diesel because of a "gross receipts" tax on gas which resets each July 1st based on the average wholesale cost of a gallon of gas/diesel between 4/1/07 and 3/31/08.

I'm done with my close to a political rant. Just make sure that any non CT resident that travels through our great state this summer, tops off the tank BEFORE you cross the border from NY/MA/RI

 

[drjeff]

Poor man's tax.

The lottery is also a great example of this

 

[deadheadskier]

Time to quit, me thinks.

There's never a 'good' time to quit. When you're hooked, you're hooked. I hope to be smoke free by next season.

That said, the principal of going after a minority product user with taxes is wrong. What if a state said, you know what, we're going to add a $5 tax to every lift ticket sold. They'd show the millions it would generate for the state towards projects deemed beneficial to society. As skiers represent such a small minority, the tax would go through quite easily.

No denying its another incentive to quit though.

 

[Warp Daddy]

Unfortunately many leg. decisions are often based on the concept of " low hanging fruit "

 

[jack97]

I used to smoke...

Me too, I used to smoke. I tried several times before that..... once I got over the 2 month, it was easy.

Hardest part was drinking coffee without a smoke.

 

[deadheadskier]

The lottery is also a great example of this

I more refer to the lottery as the 'idiot tax' and I'll admit it, occasionally I'm an idiot.

 

[nelsapbm]

My unscientific observations re: lottery.
Background: I worked in a small town mom&pop grocery store/gas station summers during high school and college. Of course we sold lots of lottery tickets. Keep in mind I pretty much knew everyone who came into this tore.
Scratch tickets were bought predominately by folks whocould not afford to plunk down $5 for a few scratch tickets. Megabucks tickets on the otherhand, were bought by our more financially stable customers.
Just an intersting tidbit I wanted to share.

 

[deadheadskier]

My unscientific observations re: lottery.
Background: I worked in a small town mom&pop grocery store/gas station summers during high school and college. Of course we sold lots of lottery tickets. Keep in mind I pretty much knew everyone who came into this tore.
Scratch tickets were bought predominately by folks whocould not afford to plunk down $5 for a few scratch tickets. Megabucks tickets on the otherhand, were bought by our more financially stable customers.
Just an intersting tidbit I wanted to share.

That doesn't surprise me so much. I'd imagine many scratch lottery players are down and out and looking for that immediate gratification, same with KENO. On the other side, my father is a relatively well to do retiree and completely secure financially. He'll buy one or two lotto tickets a year when the jack pots are high.

One of my brother's best friends actually one 200 Grand once on a scratch ticket and he still probably throws $50 a week at the lottery. If I personally were ever to win an amount so significant, I'd probably never play again figuring I had my one lucky day.

 

[bvibert]

If I personally were ever to win an amount so significant, I'd probably never play again figuring I had my one lucky day.

That's the way I feel about it too. Heck, here at work they have 50/50 raffles every month or so (the other half goes to an employee fund for picnics and stuff). I played in a lot of them for the 9 years or so that I was here up until I won last summer (or the summer before). I figure overall I'm still down money (won less than $200 IIRC), but I'm not gonna tempt fate and play anymore.

 

[2knees]

we've all been in the convenience store or gas station while someone has sat there and rattled off a laundry list of scratch games and lotto tickets they want. And more often then not, it seems like the person probably doensnt really have the extra coin to be dropping 20 bucks or so on scratch tickets. Its kinda sad, really.


I fight the battle with cigarettes constantly. I semi-quit, start again, quit, start, stop. I cant give it up entirely. it sucks really. Especially when i consider i didnt even start till i was 21 years old. most people it seems, if they made it through college never really picked up the habit. I made it through my college years and then started. oh well......

 

[deadheadskier]

we've all been in the convenience store or gas station while someone has sat there and rattled off a laundry list of scratch games and lotto tickets they want. And more often then not, it seems like the person probably doensnt really have the extra coin to be dropping 20 bucks or so on scratch tickets. Its kinda sad, really.


I fight the battle with cigarettes constantly. I semi-quit, start again, quit, start, stop. I cant give it up entirely. it sucks really. Especially when i consider i didnt even start till i was 21 years old. most people it seems, if they made it through college never really picked up the habit. I made it through my college years and then started. oh well......

I have a good friend Pete who started when he was 49 YEARS OLD! He had never smoked a cigarette in his life before then. He's now 56 and has been a pack a day smoker since. crazy

 

[tjf67]

we've all been in the convenience store or gas station while someone has sat there and rattled off a laundry list of scratch games and lotto tickets they want. And more often then not, it seems like the person probably doensnt really have the extra coin to be dropping 20 bucks or so on scratch tickets. Its kinda sad, really.


I fight the battle with cigarettes constantly. I semi-quit, start again, quit, start, stop. I cant give it up entirely. it sucks really. Especially when i consider i didnt even start till i was 21 years old. most people it seems, if they made it through college never really picked up the habit. I made it through my college years and then started. oh well......

I started junior year in college. 2nd stupidest thing I have done in my life.