Democrat Congress Proposes Massive 20,000% Increase on Cigar Tax ("for the Children")
From The Cleveland Leader:
Senate Considering Bill to Significantly Increase Cigar TaxesMy Comments:
The Senate Finance Committee is currently considering a bill that would result in a huge increase in the federal tax on cigars. Currently, the federal tax on cigars is at $0.05. The proposed bill could increase that to as much as $10.00, a 20,000% increase.
The bill is seeking to add $35 billion in funds to the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which helps uninsured children get the healthcare they need. The Senate Plan is to fund the increase in children's healthcare funds by increasing taxes on tobacco products.
President Bush has already said that if this bill were to pass, he would veto it.
I've already seen a couple of Catholic bloggers (see here and here) criticizing Bush's "lack of compassion" for daring to veto this 20,000% tax increase "for the children" (not having to listen to that lame-ass justification for all things liberal is reason enough to vote against the Democrat nominee for President next year).
I'm guessing the health-related costs of cigar smoking in the U.S. are minimal, and that such a tax is a pure unadulterated "envy tax" that is completely unrelated to any sort of distributionist notion of serving the common good.*
And I'm guessing the gentleman pictured above and below would agree with me.
* Does anyone else doubt that the Dems would be pushing for such legislation if Cuban cigars were available in the U.S. and weren't considered contraband? The Dems wouldn't want to hurt their hero Fidel's bottom line by placing such a burdensome tax on his main cash crop (especially since doing so would likely hurt the "model" health care system after which they'd love to pattern health care in the U.S.).
Labels: Communists, Death and Taxes, Democrats, Pipe Smoking and Cigars
posted by Pro Ecclesia 10:34 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
First instinct is to reply, "Chesterton sure would have a thing or two to say about this", but the reality is he has already said plenty...
If we really need some sort of "sin tax" "for the children" let's slap a tax on cosmetic surgeries, and put that money towards health care for poor kids, though that might not be popular with the dems big donners in CA and Vegas.
This is difficult. I can see why Bush would want to resist a National Health by stealth strategy. As a long term sicko in the UK I can tell you folks in the USA you have it WAY better there.
Nevertheless children without health insurance are probably worse off than children under the NHS here. In fact I would say the NHS treats children pretty well-if a little slowly at times.
I can't see anything wrong in a tax on something like cigars though-what is his rational for that veto? Is it that he wants to fund health more generally or that he feels pushed into something dodgy?
It's at times like this we could do with a CHesterBelloc input.
Clearly this would make smoking cigars downright virtuous, like buying lottery tickets "to fund the schools".
This would call for cigar smoking parties at the highest levels, prominent placement in TV and movies, celebrity endorsement.
Slogans like "helping poor children never tasted so good" and "the poor are smelling better these days" could be rolled out.
A tax increase this enormous is not to raise money, but rather to discourage the purchase of cigars. The tax will have served its purpose only when it generates zero revenue.
I can't imagine the Dems trying a similar tax with, say, fast food and junk foods, both of which have a much more direct impact on kids.
Why is that?
Jay you're gay.
Post a Comment
<< Home