Higher cigarette tax is unconscionable

Denny Heath, Clinton
Letter to the Editor

February 13, 2007 11:54 am

— I have been following with growing disgust the crusade of Gov. Culver and others to raise the state cigarette tax another $1 per pack.
I have always been an active anti-smoking advocate and for the past 40 years no one has been allowed to smoke in our house. I luckily never acquired the habit, growing up in a time when it was touted, indulged and popular, but I have had to bury several dear family members because of this addiction. Once acquired it is a horrendous habit to break, seemingly impossible for some.
But to burden cigarette addicts with an additional crippling tax is unconscionable. As if they don’t have enough sorrow and woe ahead of them already, when its effects begin to manifest themselves, our government would choose to make it all the worse for them now. All the projected health statistics that politicians are spouting to siphon off another $140 million of hard-earned taxpayers’ money will mean nothing when it comes time for these same funds to be allocated. Much will be trickled away to other “pet projects.” We all know how that goes.
If politicians were truly concerned about their public health and wanted to clearly do the right thing, they would outlaw tobacco use all together. But that would incur the wrath of the tobacco companies and seriously deplete their campaign funding. So, they simply don’t have the courage to do so.
If our politicians really wanted to improve the general public health, as an alternative they might consider passing a tax on candy bars, soft drinks, fast food, doughnuts and caffeine. Most citizens abuse these substances hourly, every day. Even a minute tax here would bring in billions of dollars in revenue, and, if their theoretical projections are accurate, greatly reduce consumption of these “empty” foods and increase the general public health as well.
The reason they don’t, of course, is because they simply don’t have the courage. Pardon me… I am repeating myself.