Conservatives new bill to crack down on contraband tobacco

[blackHelix]

Apparently they are pushing this through in order to "offset the additional health burden that would be created from illegal tobacco", 50 new RCMP members will be hired in order to combat this...

..to which we can all respond "Ummmm yeah, so will lifting the ban on electronic cigarettes - and you don't have to hire anybody"

Conservative bill aims to crack down on contraband tobacco | canada.com

 

[Esharp]

They must be losing allot of tax dollars. So if the smokers can't buy their smokes from the reserve, then they will just buy them from the corner store and pay more. This will do nothing to reduce smoking as the article suggests. And all the young kids have cars to drive out to the reserves to get smokes, it's the kid's thing again, why don't they just stick to the one story "we are losing tax revenue". And yes, if they made it easier for e-cigs, well blackHelix, your right, they wouldn't have to hire 50 new cops. Vape on!

 

[SloHand]

See. I think they've got it wrong. Their looking at their tax revenue falling from cigarettes and automatically assume that it's because of contraband. WRONG! It's 'cause more of us are vaping! I'd be worried though that they are going to put those new RCMP ocifers ( ) to work on vaping

 

[blackHelix]

See. I think they've got it wrong. Their looking at their tax revenue falling from cigarettes and automatically assume that it's because of contraband. WRONG! It's 'cause more of us are vaping! I'd be worried though that they are going to put those new RCMP ocifers ( ) to work on vaping

Haha I was thinking the same thing...

 

[Hello World]

From The Article: The legislation would create new Criminal Code offences for selling, possessing for the purpose of selling, transporting, distributing and delivering contraband tobacco.

Has no bearing on anyone who buys it from overseas. You can still get your hands on 2 lbs. of cured Indonesian tobacco unmolested to this day for under $50 incl. shipping. Yawn!

They are looking for southern Ontario midnight harvesters, native reserve booties and organized importing and distributing networks.

The Gov't of course does all this to protect the health of innocent Canadians falling prey to such callous operatives ... lol. Never heard of a Non-Smoker looking for contraband.

They tried to shut down all black-market cigarette sales in Canada in the mid-90s and failed miserably and it's still broadly available to this day. Probably more fearmongering PR than action.

From The Article: "Baggies of cheap, illegal tobacco lure our kids into smoking," she said.

I happen to know firsthand these baggies are not sold to kids, and they ain't all that cheap either.

 

[martinc]

I remember that,a pack went from like $7 to $3...that killed contraband.

Then the opportunity to raise taxes again won and they never looked back since...$10 and counting (for top brands).

Impatient bunch we have governing the place.

No worries,if they find a way and people stop smoking enough that the gov is in deep doo-doo,they will lean their weight and shift their attention on fuel...then food...then more disguised taxes....then civil war.

Where's my gun

 

[blackHelix]

I happen to know firsthand these baggies are not sold to kids, and they ain't all that cheap either.

hahaha yeah because that's what kids are into these days, illegal bags of loose leaf tobacco!

 

[Hello World]

hahaha yeah because that's what kids are into these days, illegal bags of loose leaf tobacco!

Greetz Helix.

No, these are actually fully rolled cigs with filter sold in clear ziplock bags of 20 or 200, depending what you want. They are either home-rolie reserve or Chinese cigs often available in questionable parts of town where you don't find kids ... lol. The black-marketeers won't sell to them, too risky, little peckerheads have big mouths ... lol

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Here's a link to CTV's report - LINK

 

[Esharp]

The body that is trying to kill snus and e-cigs in the EU, when asked about the loss of tax revenue for governments, their response was, "if smokers are not spending their money on tobacco then they will spending money on something else and the governments will collect sales taxes" or to that effect. Ya.... cause everything else we buy has 75% tax rate.

But here, the revenue loss is a combination of contraband cigarettes and people switching to vaping, as SloHand stated, IMO. This is just stage one, being contraband cigarettes. Stage two, well we know where this is going.

 

[martinc]

Well,if they continue to raise taxes and up fees and rates everywhere for any obscure reasons the deem acceptable (they already passed my limit 10 yrs ago) people will find ways to pay less and if possible no taxes at all.

I already have a few ways to not pay taxes on some everyday items which are incidentally 10x less expensive then what we have here and about the same quality.

And that is less taxes paid to gov and less money given to local 1%ers thieves.

Basically,they ask for it. (and i am not talking about any of the e-cig stuff,yet remain on topic!)

 

[fourtytwo]

I just love how everything boils down to "organized crime". That conjures all sorts of images of all the money going into street gangs, biker clubs and Montreal construction bosses (Sorry, just could not resist that last one with all the news about the Charbonneau Commission lately).
When I was smoking and wanted some of these, I would just drive to the mom and pop variety store on the rez and stocked up.

 

[martinc]

Not harm done in calling the truth

I remember a Toronto journalist that called Quebec the most corrupt province of Canada last year (or was it 2011)...anyways....he got a hellstorm from it,and he was right.

Raise his paycheck.

 

[Hello World]

The game of thieves stealing from other thieves.

But then I have far more respect for those who steal from the Gov't, since they made tobacco available for reasonable prices. That game will however change in due time when vapers will be their newly elected target for crime ... ahem ... taxes.

Get those freezers stocked up.

 

[Ryedan]

See. I think they've got it wrong. Their looking at their tax revenue falling from cigarettes and automatically assume that it's because of contraband. WRONG! It's 'cause more of us are vaping! I'd be worried though that they are going to put those new RCMP ocifers ( ) to work on vaping

SloHand, I used to buy my cigs from the reserves through a supplier I know. Used to pick them up in a parking lot on Friday evenings along with a bunch of other people. I know there were a lot of people doing it then and I suspect more are doing it now. A lot more than those of us who vape.

As far as these officers going after vaping, it's not illegal so they can't. I hope they don't know something we don't about where that may be headed

 

[Kagey K]

To be fair there was a big bust in Alberta a few months ago over illegally imported and sold tobacco that they are all just going to court for now.

I remember I was in Ontario in '94 or when they decided to lower taxes and cut the price of cigs to stop illegal importing, at the same time they started enforcing photo radar. (Maybe it was '98 but I think it was '94) It was a shstorm around southern Ontario at that time and now back in Alberta those same cigs they lowered are over 30% more than they were back before the price cut. They were 8.00 cut to 6.00 and now retail for 12.00. Short term ineffective gov't wins once again. Yet they wonder why they start back at square one.

 

[Ryedan]

I remember I was in Ontario in '94 or when they decided to lower taxes and cut the price of cigs to stop illegal importing, at the same time they started enforcing photo radar. (Maybe it was '98 but I think it was '94) It was a shstorm around southern Ontario at that time and now back in Alberta those same cigs they lowered are over 30% more than they were back before the price cut. They were 8.00 cut to 6.00 and now retail for 12.00. Short term ineffective gov't wins once again. Yet they wonder why they start back at square one.

Yup Kagey. I think it was around '94 or so too. Remember it well because that's when I went back to store bought smokes until they got crazy taxed again

I doubt they'll ever learn!??!

 

[Hello World]

To be fair there was a big bust in Alberta a few months ago over illegally imported and sold tobacco that they are all just going to court for now.

I remember I was in Ontario in '94 or when they decided to lower taxes and cut the price of cigs to stop illegal importing, at the same time they started enforcing photo radar. (Maybe it was '98 but I think it was '94) It was a shstorm around southern Ontario at that time and now back in Alberta those same cigs they lowered are over 30% more than they were back before the price cut. They were 8.00 cut to 6.00 and now retail for 12.00. Short term ineffective gov't wins once again. Yet they wonder why they start back at square one.

Yup ...

They do things they think works, then discover it has failed, only to repeat the whole thing all over again. They then do things they know don't work, but do it anyways.

Definition of Insanity: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results." (Possibly erroneously attributed to Benjamin Franklin/Albert Einstein)

The truth is they have no solution, never had one, are doing 1 or 2 terms in office to give the public the impression of their worthiness and then retire on a nice fat pension.

 

[fourtytwo]

Yup ...

They do things they think works, then discover it has failed, only to repeat the whole thing all over again. They then do things they know don't work, but do it anyways.

Definition of Insanity: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results." (Possibly erroneously attributed to Benjamin Franklin/Albert Einstein)

The truth is they have no solution, never had one, are doing 1 or 2 terms in office to give the public the impression of their worthiness and then retire on a nice fat pension.

Well, I don't know who is more insane. Those in office and keep doing the same crap, or those who voted for them and expect a difference.

 

[Esharp]

Short term ineffective gov't wins once again. Yet they wonder why they start back at square one.

I thinks it's very effective, lower the price, eliminate the competition then increase prices thereby increasing profits. Organized crime does the same thing. And the best part is, we elect these crime bosses. Wow, I love this country!