Not to mention the tax revenues that the State receives from each pack of cigarettes! This came right from the State of California Website:
The cost of the cigarette tax stamp includes both the cigarette tax and the surtaxes. Currently,each cigarette tax stamp costs 87 cents per pack of 20 cigarettes: 12 cents for the cigarette tax and 75 cents for the combined surtaxes. Distributors are allowed a discount of 0.85 percent for each stamp to help offset their costs for affixing stamps.
Tobacco products. The surtax rate is determined annually by the Board of Equalization (BOE) and is equivalent to the combined rate of tax applied to cigarettes (sections 30126 and 30131.5 of the Revenue and Taxation Code). Effective July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, the rate is 41.11 percent of the wholesale cost.
How are the revenues used?
Ten cents of the cigarette tax is deposited into the state’s General Fund and two cents per package goes into the Breast Cancer Research Fund.
Twenty-five cents (Proposition 99, November 1988) of the cigarette and tobacco products surtax is used for the following purposes:
• Tobacco-related health education programs and disease research.
• Medical and hospital care and treatment of patients who cannot afford those services, and for whom payment will not be made by any private coverage or federal program.
• Programs for fire prevention; environmental conservation; protection, restoration, enhancement, and maintenance of fish, waterfowl, and wildlife habitat areas; and enhancement of state and local parks and recreation.
Fifty-cents (Proposition 10, November 1998) of the cigarette and tobacco products surtax is used for programs that encourage proper childhood development, including the development of professional and parental education and training, informed selection of childcare, development and education of childcare providers, and research into the best practices and standards for all programs and services relating to early childhood development.
Now, while I feel that many of these things are good in and of themselves, some of them are just a little ridiculous. I mean really - is it the smokers of California's responsiblity to provide childcare related services? When my kids were young - I was the one who paid for childcare, not the smokers of the State. Since when did that become OUR burden? And while I personally contribute to several Breast Cancer Societies, since when do they need to force a contribution because I smoke?
And and maintenance of fish, waterfowl, and wildlife habitat areas? Enhancement of state and local parks and recreation. Next time I get charged for entering a state park, I will just flash a pack of cigarettes and tell them I contribute at the Smoke Shop!
And as far as smoking education and caring for the sick who do not have money for care, that is great - but shouldn't the companies who cause it pay for it rather then the very people they are making sick? Sheesh!
How did these things become OUR responsibiity? But you can bet that now that it is in place, the states do not want to lose these new sources of revenue and that will have a big influence on how the FDA decides on ecigs!
So glad I am done with that - aside from being very bad for my health, they have also become a kind of mini welfare system in which we are the only contributors!
So again, thank you Steve for finding and selling a product that I know will keep me away from cigs!
*steps down off her soapbox and grabs her VaporKing for a calming puff*
