How Concerned should Americans be about the Proposed Tax Hike?

[sablebrush52]

Some day we'll be looking back and be saying' "I wished I'da stocked up when tobacco was only $2000 a tin instead of the insane $20,000 it is now."

 

[Chasing Embers]

 

[Briar Lee]

I’ve loved the smell of tobacco so long as I can remember. So when I was about ten or so years old, there was a pool hall in Humansville ran by a stern old Christian lady named Nellie. My parents had to sign for me to go in that pool hall, and Nellie made it clear there was to be no cursing, no fighting, no gambling (except for the cost of the game) and absolutely no alcohol would be tolerated.

Nellie traded me my 35 cent lunch tokens as good for a quarter buying cigarettes at forty cents a pack. Two lunch tokens, I’d get a pack of Winstons and two nickels for the pinball.

I usually had real money, instead of trading lunch tokens.

It was my own damned fault, not Nellie’s, that I’m addicted to nicotine today.

But I can afford nicotine, and I understand the motivations of making a pack of cigarettes so high children don’t buy them with lunch token money.

The thing is we smokers of real pipe tobacco use three to five grams per smoke, not a gram a stick.

It’s a helluva thing, when entitled, privileged, wealthy white guys have to pay the same tax per ounce as a hobo rolling his own in a boxcar.

Enjoy:

KING OF THE ROAD

Roger Miller

I hope they don’t increase the taxes, but your mother told you not to smoke anyway, but did you listen?

 

[chopper]

What a nightmare!

I'm way better off than most Aussie smokers.
Around 18 months before the law changed re; the importation of tobacco without a license, although many morons who 'knew a guy' suggested that the laws would only affect commercial quantity, I had a bad feeling.

So I ordered as much tobacco as my pension allowed and built a reasonable stash. [1 in 4-5 orders were lost to Customs]
Despite receiving one warning from Customs after the law changed, I figured that during the Rona dramas it was as good a time as any to attempt to get some more baccy.
Fortunately I got 12 x 1lb orders through before the 13th was intercepted. [Rather than receiving an expected $1,500 fine, I received another warning. ]

I'm also learning to grow for when my stash runs low. Buggered if I'll ever pay their extortionist taxes.

 

[fireground_piper]

Hey, people are paying $200 for 8oz of penzance. An extra $47 per pound is a steal still at retail in comparison.

“2100%” is a little misdirection if we are being honest. No one wants more tax but 2100% drives different emotions compared to $47 per pound.

 

[mingc]

I'm happy to not have penurious peasants who can't afford a pittance of a tax coveting the same tobaccos I do. Aren't you? Sniff. ?

 

[Merton]

I don't like the prospect of increased taxes either but some of the posts on this thread are pretty offensive and not consistent with the kind of values this site generally upholds.

 

[jaytex1969]

 

[sablebrush52]

Just thinking about the title which uses the word "Americans" rather than "pipe smokers" - kind of a bit of a spin there - and given that smoking is highly unpopular my suspicion is that most Americans would either not care, or be just fine with it.

 

[wyfbane]

I’ve loved the smell of tobacco so long as I can remember. So when I was about ten or so years old, there was a pool hall in Humansville ran by a stern old Christian lady named Nellie. My parents had to sign for me to go in that pool hall, and Nellie made it clear there was to be no cursing, no fighting, no gambling (except for the cost of the game) and absolutely no alcohol would be tolerated.

Nellie traded me my 35 cent lunch tokens as good for a quarter buying cigarettes at forty cents a pack. Two lunch tokens, I’d get a pack of Winstons and two nickels for the pinball.

I usually had real money, instead of trading lunch tokens.

It was my own damned fault, not Nellie’s, that I’m addicted to nicotine today.

But I can afford nicotine, and I understand the motivations of making a pack of cigarettes so high children don’t buy them with lunch token money.

The thing is we smokers of real pipe tobacco use three to five grams per smoke, not a gram a stick.

It’s a helluva thing, when entitled, privileged, wealthy white guys have to pay the same tax per ounce as a hobo rolling his own in a boxcar.

Enjoy:

KING OF THE ROAD

Roger Miller

I hope they don’t increase the taxes, but your mother told you not to smoke anyway, but did you listen?

That is a touching story. I still don't see how this in any way justifies any tax in this country to go up 2100%. And in your earlier post, where 12 dollar tins go up to $20-25 only reflects a 100% increase. Neato for your kid beating the system. I don't want to pay $220 for a 2 oz tin of Cornell and Diehl. The entirety of your posts seem to reflect a defense of this tax. I am super glad that you and several others can poo poo this away. Most of them have deep cellars and you just seem to think taxes are neat, unless I am mistaken.

There are a great many new members here who are just starting out. I think of them starting in the last three years or so. Many of them may not be able to cellar as much as they would need to in order to weather this. We hear horror stories out of NZ and AUS all the time about availability and affordability.

No. This tax is bad. I do not support it.

 

[warren]

Just thinking about the title which uses the word "Americans" rather than "pipe smokers" - kind of a bit of a spin there - and given that smoking is highly unpopular my suspicion is that most Americans would either not care, or be just fine with it.

For sure! We picked our wee vice knowing it was socially frowned upon and heavily taxed at local and state levels. So, none of us should be surprised there is a heavy price to pay. The situation is simply part and parcel of the choice we made.

 

[jvnshr]

All right folks, the moment that you all had been waiting for came. Cheers.