J.D. Tuccille Talks Cigarette Taxes on the Thom Hartmann Radio Show

Assef Elweter

Make a social concern go away just by hiking taxes on it? Why haven't the drug warriors thought of that? Anyway, I'll be on the Thom Hartmann show at 3pm ET to discuss a study that proposes tripling cigarette taxes as a means to lower tobacco consumption around the world. It's a brilliant idea that, clearly, has never occurred to policymakers in the past. What could possibly go wrong with such a simple idea for reducing people's taste for tobacco? What cynical fool would ever suggest unintended consequences might occur?

Tune in for the fun.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Cigarettes aren't outrightly banned like the marijuana (that kids sometimes smoke like cigarettes) simply because tobacco is an established, major industry for certain states. Otherwise, oh baby, it would be banarama time.

[BakedPenguin]

Well, I'm willing to bet we got a cruel summer coming up.

[Hyperion]

I don't think that taxing anything addictive, more, is going to discourage someone from getting it. There has even been movies that prove that someone will steal and pawn their moms TV set, over and over again, to get their fix.

The thing that has cut cigarette consumption in my opinion is 1. the known health risks, and 2. It's a nasty habit that most people detest. Really, it's sort of anti-social because of the smell. If you are a heavy smoker, you're definitely going to reduce the number of people that really want to be around you with your clothes reeking of that foul shit.

Of course, being a libertarian, I don't want to ban it, or even tax it more. You are free to smell bad and ruin your health all you want.

[Raston Bot]

Obviously you spend the increased tax revenue on enforcement to tamp down the black market and keep the tax revenue flowing. This may require loosening the 4A even more but it's worth it since we're all subsidizing each other's health insurance now.

/thom

[OldMexican]

Anyway, I'll be on the Thom Hartmann show at 3pm ET to discuss a study that proposes tripling cigarette taxes as a means to lower tobacco consumption around the world.

My prediction:

Tucille: "Clearly, rather than curbing cigarette purchases by tobacco smokers, the taxes have only served to feed black markets with increased revenues through illegal sales of tax-free cigarettes, diluting any positive effect that was imagined by the policy makers."
Hartmann: "You're clearly a shill for Big Tobacco who wants people to die a slow death because of cancer!"

And, that will be the end of the discussion.

[Austrian Anarchy]

Hartmann is a fraud, he just makes things up and pretends they are facts to support his ridiculous Marxist conclusions.