Is it cash before Public Health?

[Professor Enic]

A recent article on Blastingnews.com asked the question: Fiscal health before public health? Taxing e-cigarettes, a business decision.
The Center for Disease Control reports that more than nine million people in the USA choose to replace their cigarette smoking habit with vaping products. The Government is losing tax revenue every single day as tobacco sales fall. How do they recoup that revenue? That is a business decision, basic economics, if revenue falls, how can it be regenerated? Organizations such as the American Heart and Lung Association, and Politicians of all parties, claim it is to “Protect the children” and that there is no evidence that smokers are switching to e-cigs long term. They continue to quote the Gateway to Smoking Theory, which has been.... Read More

 

[Rossum]

Let’s hope that fiscal needs do not continue to be put before the health needs of the public.

Hope springs eternal, but it's a false hope. Politicians only care about one thing: Having control over the funds necessary to buy elections and keep themselves in power.

 

[skoony]

Just a correction from the article. Minnesota's so-called 95% wholesale tax
on e-juice was specifically written for cigalikes back in 2009. The tax was to
be collected from the tobacco wholesalers. The first problem is the tobacco
wholesalers didn't sell cigalikes back then. Only tobacco products. The second
problem is other than that there was no system of collection set up. I seriously
doubt any tax was ever paid as the cost locally for cigalikes compares to online
pricing. today I believe even BT's products are not paying for the same reason.
The tobacco wholesalers and BT do not sell them. The are sold by independent
distributors.(cigalikes with prefilled carto's)
There is not nor has there ever been a e-juice tax other than this one. The only
tax being collected to the best of my knowledge on anything e-cigarette related
is the standard sales tax.
Regards
mike