Arizona lawmakers mull taxing electronic cigarettes to deal with projected budget deficit

[Painter_]

therepublic
.com/view/story/9deca209103541e6b1aadd9990ba99aa/AZ--E-Cigarette-Tax

Here for your enjoyment tonight is yet another state that is looking for a money grab by taxing e-cigarettes.

PHOENIX — Arizona lawmakers are considering taxes on electronic cigarettes as a way to help cover a $1 billion budget shortfall, the Arizona Capitol Times reported (http://......./10qLUN5 ).
"It's one option of many that we should look at at the Legislature," said state Democratic Rep. Stefanie Mach of Tucson, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee. "It certainly isn't going to come close to the amount of money that we need to make up the deficit, but any little bit helps."
Some legislators are lighting up at the idea of taxing e-cigarettes to cover a huge deficit expected by fiscal year 2017, but how to regulate the devices has been a source of debate.

But it does seem that some people are enlightened.

Republican Rep. John Kavanagh, of Fountain Hills, said taxing e-cigarettes could discourage people from using them in an effort to quit smoking.
"The e-cigarettes, I am told, are not nearly as damaging to the body as tobacco is, and part of the reasoning for the tobacco tax is to compensate society for the additional costs in medical care that smokers cause," said Kavanagh, who also serves on the House Appropriations Committee and running for a Senate seat.

 

[mctess]

I'm sure the state is hurting with all the losses they must be having and not being able to collect their $.80 per pack tax that supposedly goes to the Children's Health Care Fund. And didn't they ask permission a couple years back to move that "cigarette" money into the general fund to help pay their deficit? If I remember right, it was shot down.

And thank god I never bought smokes online:

Arizona smokers getting tax bills for online sales

 

[Jman8]

Anything bought online (that doesn't match taxes in your state) would be subjected to this sort of law/policy. I would hope we, the people, would fight that sort of money grab. Or we could just wait til it happens to us.

 

[rothenbj]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqK97av7I3s