They charge tax on everything except food so I say yes.

It's been demonstrably shown that smoking increases the risk of a score of medical problems, many of which cost a great deal of money to treat. If the tax is actually put toward healthcare and education, I say it's fine. Otherwise, the money comes from non-smoking taxpayers.

No....they dont put taxes on Alcohol....so why cigerettes??

Indeed, because the health needs of smokers must be paid for somehow.

Absolutely!! I hate smoking - It's the most pointless thing you can do to your body - I wish there was a huge tax on cigarettes - that way maybe more people would think about quitting - creating a healthier society as a whole.

They raised the tax on cigarettes to $2.01 a pack on July 1st. I don't think it's fair and I don't think it deters smokers from smoking.

absolutley. it's an indirect tax for one. and its addictive and kills. I say replace the IRS with a ridiculous cigerette and alcohol tax.

Yes, but not in the way it's being taxed. The government claims they tax in this way to "discourage smokers" which is complete and utter bullshit. They tax like this to increase revenue because they can't balance budgets on their own. If you want to tax to raise money-fine, I don't smoke and I believe as a public health risk it should be taxed anyway. However if you want to tax and claim it's to discourage smoking-than you better back it up. Add $20000 taxes a pack.

Caring for people who suffer from smoke related sicknesses is drawing off goverment funds so why not? So many people don't have health insurance so the government has to foot the bill. If your going to smoke cigarettes I see no reason not to charge you in advance for the bills you will cause them.

If the tax dollars went to something, anything medical I would agree. When my state passed its large tax on cigarettes the reasoning was the medical burden to society that smokers are. Not one dollar of the money generated goes to heath care. They won't even fund anti-smoking programs. It is the reasoning that is unfair. Source for following paragraph: http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=160779 But lawmakers said they're not concerned with the health impact of smoking and that encouraging people to stop smoking isn't the point of the bill. "It's not a health care bill. It wasn't really about cigarettes so much, it just seemed to be a place where people didn't mind as much if we found the money there," Rep. Peggy Hamric, R-Houston, said. Following quote source: Laura Chapman of the American Lung Association A proposal to funnel 5 percent of the new tax money to anti-smoking programs was defeated in the Legislature this year. "We are taking this on as an advocacy. With the revenue being generated, why not? We would be foolish not to. It has to be a priority," she said.

It is a user's tax. I believe it is fair. Smoking costs society so much in health dollars, lost manpower, etc. Why not have them pay some of that back?

Yes. Charge $5.00 a pack in tax.

There's not a lot about taxes that are fair. I'm only writing this answer as a response to the great number of people whose knee-jerk reaction is to equate higher government health costs as justification of high taxes. (FYI: taxes can come to be as much as 80% of the total cost of a pack) http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/cms/index.cfm?group_id=1200 1. The a pack a day smoker where I am (Ontario: where the taxes are only 69%, the lowest in the country), will pay $20,000 in taxes for every 10 years they smoke. This provides some context. Canada is also used as an example here because it is a country that has socialized. In the USA with private health care, the average is ~$7,500. 2. Canadian per capita expeditures, are around $33,000 over that same ten year period per capita. (wikipedia) 3. The average total health and insurance costs to a high consumption smoker are $17,500 more than a non-smoker over a lifetime.(this stat was for US costs but I figure I can use them as these costs would be inflated over Canadian figures due to the 2x higher health care expenditure per capita and the ability of American insurance companies to increase premiums for smokers, something which the Canadian government cannot do. My point is that this is a small number, even when inflated by these proportions.) http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0277.pdf 4. The average smoker will not live as long as a non smoker: anywhere from 5 to 23 years less, depending on who you believe. And will cause less extended care costs into their old age, where the costs are on average 17x more than at any other point of a person's life. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/ria19/expendria.pdf To break down these numbers: Average health care costs over a lifetime in a heavy smoker are less than than those of a non-smoker. Within a socialized system "fair" under the health cost argument would be the if the government paid the smoker. Taxation is a method that has always been used to limit the exchange of goods/services, the "Health Cost" argument is pathetic as it doesn't acknowledge the already massive cost of health care with out accounting for smoking at all. Taxation generates revenue and can be increased constantly because of popular support. In the "fairness" issue: no, fair would be personally paying the costs you incur, not enormously overpaying for speculative costs.

I think it's really ignorant to tax cigarettes the way the US does. Sure they need help paying for people that don't have insurance but what about the idiots that have no insurance that overdose on illegal drugs or drive 110 mph on the interstate because they're late for a concert and kill someone in a crash with no insurance? Also, I don't see the government taxing alcohol like they do cigarettes. I've never seen anyone killed from smoking a Marlboro while driving! Everyone that flips out about smoking needs to get a hobby. How the hell is it hurting you? Go get in your gas guzzling SUV and drive to a TRUTH convention and we will see who is hurting more people. (this isn't directed at the person asking the question, just a general vent! lol) People are so worried about what everyone else is doing when they are against something, that they don't realize all the stupid crap they do someone else is against. It's a big circle that will never be broken unless people begin focusing on their own problems and not others.

I think it is unfair, the people who are smoking are not going to quit because of an increase in price instead they will just spend more money I feel. I live in Canada and a pack of Export cigarettes that I smoke are $12.60 a pack. Now thats RIDICULOUS!

no, social activities are good for the economy, good for society. The smokers I know are young, single people. They shouldn't have to pay for every one else's "stuff".

It's a 'luxury' item, I believe it is fair, ciggies arn't a necessity.

I'm a smoker. I don't like the tax on cigarettes but i agree with it. But not the way it is taxed. Say there are two people who each smoke a pack a day, the first person makes $700 a week while the second person makes $200 a week. A $2 tax on a pack of cigarettes is not a big deal for the first person but it is a huge deal for the second person. Its the lower class of people that are getting screwed.

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think that cigarettes should be one of the most expensive things in the world. I wish only the extremely rich could afford them. That way, how many kids could actually get ahold of them, and adults???? You gotta draw a line somewhere.

Hell no. While they're at it, why don't they tax the hell out of fast food? That's a huge health risk, also. It's insane the amount of taxes they placed. Even on the reservations it's retardedly expensive to buy cigarettes. This tax wasn't placed to discourage smoking. They know full well that no smoker is going to quit just because of taxes. So they put a ridiculous tax on one of America's biggest industries, just to put more money in their pockets. Filthy politicians. I'm waiting for the tax on air to come out. It wouldn't surprise me one bit.

Yes it's fair when I have to breath in the second hand smoke of that shit.

No,its only the people who don't have enough money that won't be able to smoke anymore. Once again, the rich have their way.

no!...its not fair at all and I am a non smoker

It's no more fair than taxes on anything else.

Targeted taxes are never fair. Only a National Sales Tax and individual State sales taxes are fair means of taxing the People. Perhaps the gov't should invest in the stock market like everyone else... never more than about 3% of a company's stock.

We non-smokers are loving this. Raise them and raise them higher. LOL

I do not care either way as I do not buy them.

No, it's not fair. I'm not a smoker, but it's not fair to charge a disproportionately high tax on one luxury item over another. Why not charge the same disproportionate tax on other luxury items like Chanel perfume or chocolate bars?

Absolutely. Cigarettes cause premature death and many expensive health problems that plague the health system and raise costs dramatically. They should be taxed heavily.

It is unfair. The tax money doesn't really go to health care but does go to ineffective anti-smoking campaigns. . The tax hits poor people the hardest but rarely causes them to quit. Rather it keeps them poor by preventing them from saving money. . Cigarettes should either be legal or illegal. Bleeding smokers of money 'for their own good' is dishonest.

As I consume them one by one, no.

A good way to discourage smoking and at the same time providing the government with much needed revenue.

No. It's another way the rich screw the poor. Babies who worry about others smoking can suck my cigarette butt.

NO!

Fuck yes..jeeezzz

It's fair to charge taxes on cigarettes and on any products that do harm to Human beings. This includes Soda and all progressed junk food. If we want the Human race to survive we have to educate people about proper nutrition. People need to get back to eatting whole Foods not Lab created Foods. Cigarettes simple sugars and many other substances are poisoning us all. Maybe if we tax these things people will stop their self destructive ways. I do not think people have the right to blow cigarette smoke in my face. I do not think people should have easy assess to Liquor products.We have to many drunks on the road killing people. I think Liquor should be legal but it is a luxury item not a staple. Food for the Family should come first.