MASSACUSETTS BILL HB 2593 To Be Considered on 6/25/2013

[brainiacs daughter]

Hi Folks,

There is a bill currently up for consideration on 6/25/2013 in the Massachusetts House of Representatives that proposes a tax of all products containing liquid nicotine as well as mods/e-cigs and paraphernalia at a rate of 45%. Additionally, its passing would require vendors to spend large amounts of money to license themselves in order to sell e-cig items. I sent off the letter below to all Massachusetts Reps. today and thought people might want to read my plea and utilize any of its (hopefully) pertinent thoughts in their own letter-writing if applicable. Any comments will be appreciated...

Dear Sir or Madam,
I write to you in reference to bill HB 2593, up for consideration on June 25, 2013. I do, in the most resounding language possible, TOTALLY oppose this bill and the inordinately large tax that it proposes to levy.

I imagine you have a friend or relative who smokes/has smoked, and may in fact smoke/have smoked yourself. I imagine you know how dastardly and difficult it is to quit smoking--more so even than her0in! I further imagine that you are well aware of the untold deleterious physical effects smoking has on one’s health and the BILLIONS of dollars that this costs to treat. I therefore ask WHY? Why would any right-thinking person EVEN CONSIDER imposing such a hefty tax on e-cigarettes? Using this product is exponentially LESS harmful than smoking, and has an 80% effectiveness rate in the curtailing and/or cessation of smoking. This product SAVES lives, and the consideration of this tax puts the health of thousands of people at risk. People who can’t afford cigarettes. People who want to quit.
I am one such person. I have smoked since I was 13-years-old. At the ripe middle age of 50 I developed emphysema and soon after, had a heart attack. But, despite these serious health concerns, I CONTINUED TO SMOKE. A cigarette is a demon that knows your name and makes promises. And you, despite knowing that the cigarette is lying, and is in fact KILLING YOU, continue to smoke anyway. I was in a deep depression. I felt like crap and beat myself up because I couldn’t/wouldn’t stop. Last December on my 53^rd birthday, I purchased an e-cigarette. I received it in the mail. I took one drag and I KNEW. I knew I could do it. I knew I could quit. And so I have. I have been smoke-free for 6 months, now liberated from that which sought to destroy me. I am free and I thank God for this wonderful invention--this invention, which DOES have nicotine, but DOESN’T cause further harm to my all-ready compromised heart and lungs.

And so you see dear reader, when you consider BILL 2593, you are not considering a tax for something that is harmful that you are attempting to dissuade. You are not considering a tax for a luxury item or a novelty. You are considering a tax that concerns itself with LIFE and DEATH. Please. DO THE RIGHT THING. Do not tax e-cigarettes out of our reach. DO not make it impossible for the small business owner to vend a life-saving item.

PLEASE. Consider this bill carefully before voting “YES.”

 

[AgentAnia]

Great letter, brainiacs daughter! Thank you for taking the time and making the effort to help vapers not just in MA but everywhere

 

[Brewlady]

I will be driving to Boston tomorrow morning to speak at the hearing. If anyone from Western Massachusetts would like to carpool with me please message me or post here. There is a commuter parking lot behind the McDonald's in Ludlow, near exit 7 of the turnpike.

 

[LeoRex]

Is this a 'public health' thing or just another attempt at a money grab.

 

[Bill Godshall]

Since HB 2593 would redefine "smokeless tobacco" as including e-cigarettes for tax purposes, it appears that HB 2593 would tax e-cigarettes at 90% of wholesale price (as that's the current tax for smokeless tobacco in MA)
http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0169.pdf

The bill is at
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/188/House/H2593

Earlier this year, both the MA House and MA Senate approved different versions of a transportation financing legislation that would have increased tax rates on all tobacco products (but neither of those bills would have taxed e-cigs), and I don't think that any further action was taken on either of those bills.

Although HB 2593 mentions a 25% tax that would be increased to 45%, I don't know which product(s) that would apply to (as cigars and smoking tobacco are now taxed at 30% of wholesale price in MA).

Regardless of the details, HB 2593 should be vigorously opposed. I just sent a copy of HB 2593 to key legislative staff at Lorillard, Reynolds and Philip Morris.

But we need MA vapers to publicly oppose the bill tomorrow. Thanks for planning to attend Karen.

 

[Placebo Effect]

Call to Action has been updated -- CASAA: URGENT Call to Action! Massachusetts Bill to Impose 90% Tax on E-Cigarettes -- HB 2593 (Hearing 6/25/13!)

Bill, please update your Delaware testimony and fire it off to the legislators.

 

[Bill Godshall]

Sent

To: Massachusetts Joint Committee on Revenue
From: Bill Godshall, Executive Director, Smokefree Pennsylvania
RE: Please reject HB 2593 because it threatens the lives and health of smokers and vapers

As one who has successfully campaigned to reduce cigarette consumption since 1986 at local, state and federal levels, I strongly urge you to reject HB 2593 because it threatens consumer and public health by imposing an unwarranted and punitive 90% tax on smokefree electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes).

Since cigarette smoking causes >99% of all tobacco attributable morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs, Master Settlement Agreement payments and cigarette tax revenue should be high enough to reimburse MA taxpayers for the costs of treating cigarette caused diseases.

In sharp contrast, e-cigarettes are >99% less hazardous than cigarettes, pose no risks to nonusers, are used almost exclusively by adult smokers and exsmokers who quit by switching to e-cigarettes, have never been known to addict any nonsmoker or youth, and have helped several million smokers quit smoking and/or sharply reduce cigarette consumption.

As such, there is zero public health or fiscal justification for taxing e-cigarettes, especially at 90% of their wholesale price (as HB 2593 would do by inaccurately redefining "smokeless tobacco" to inlcude e-cigarettes).

Instead of protecting consumer or public health, HB 2593's 90% tax on e-cigarettes would encourage some e-cigarette consumers to switch back to far more hazardous cigarettes, and would discourage smokers from switching to these far less hazardous smokefree alternatives.

Since many e-cigarettes are sold via the Internet, HB 2593 would also encourage many/most e-cigarette consumers at brick-and-mortar stores in Massachusetts to buy these products via the Internet from out-of-state vendors to avoid paying the unwarranted 90% tax, which would generate significantly less revenue for MA than HB 2593 sponsors anticipate.

HB 2593 would also unfairly benefit large tobacco companies (at the expense of small e-cigarette companies) by requiring all e-cigarettes to be sold by licensed tobacco dealers in MA because many e-cigarette vendors do not sell tobacco products (and thus aren't licensed to sell tobacco), and because most licensed tobacco dealers don't sell e-cigarettes or sell just several brands.

The only way to further reduce tobacco disease and death is to continue reducing daily cigarette smoking and overall cigarette consumption, and e-cigarettes have significantly reduced cigarette consumption during the past several years.

Once again, please reject HB 2593.

Since I founded Smokefree Pennsylvania in 1990, we’ve advocated local, state and federal policies to reduce indoor tobacco smoke pollution, reduce tobacco marketing to youth, increase cigarette tax rates, hold cigarette companies accountable in civil courts, and in 2007 I convinced US Senator Mike Enzi to amend the FSPTCA to require graphic warnings on all cigarette packs.

Feel free to contact me anytime for more information or assistance.

Sincerely,

William T. Godshall, MPH
Executive Director
Smokefree Pennsylvania
1926 Monongahela Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
412-351-5880
smokefree@compuserve.com

 

[CES]

Good luck at the hearing today.

 

[brainiacs daughter]

Wow, thanks for this. While mine was a personal and impassioned plea, yours hits with hard facts and logic. Nicely done!

 

[volume control]

Nice work, i sent some emails myself but they were that magnificent. Basically told my story and made note of the ecig lack of impact on govt expenditure and likelihood of internet sales overtaking any storefront sales.

 

[Placebo Effect]

Nice work, i sent some emails myself but they were that magnificent. Basically told my story and made note of the ecig lack of impact on govt expenditure and likelihood of internet sales overtaking any storefront sales.

If you can, call your own Representative and Senator's offices and find out when they meet with constituents. Ask to meet with them to talk about not just HB 2593, but also the topic of taxation and harm reduction products.

This is a big one and is not a step that vapers should forget.

BTW, I don't have a full report on what happened today, but I know that the bill was NOT voted on.

 

[szot]

I spoke to 2 personal friends of mine who happen to be State reps from Western Mass and they both are not in favor of this bill...so with a push from all the ppl who vape and the general population, maybe we can convince the rest of the reps...so contact uour rep and voice your thoughts to them..

 

[nobutts1]

Call to Action has been updated -- CASAA: URGENT Call to Action! Massachusetts Bill to Impose 90% Tax on E-Cigarettes -- HB 2593 (Hearing 6/25/13!)

Bill, please update your Delaware testimony and fire it off to the legislators.

I am so sick of being lazy and blowing off taking action to help Bill fight the fight. We have power in numbers, we have to stop sitting back and letting "Whateve" attitude take rein. Can you imagine paying 19 dollars for a 10 ml bottle of nic juice? That's reality!! But, we can stop that from happening, we must be a team. Let's Roll and get it done.