Packs of smokers go south for tax savings.
Jump to full article: Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer, 2007-04-23
Author: Rita Giordano Inquirer Staff Writer
Intro: NEW CASTLE, Del. - One after another, the cars pull into the parking lot of an unassuming strip mall just a short jaunt from the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
Pennsylvania plates, Jersey plates. Barely a Delaware tag in the bunch.
The destination? The Delaware Tobacco Outlet, just one of many such emporiums in this tiny state.
The lure: smokes that are a whole lot cheaper than those closer to home, thanks to Delaware's low cigarette tax.
"I try to come once every two weeks," said Tracy Major, 46, a laborer from Salem County who looked pretty happy with his score of Marlboro Lights. "It's two for the price of one."
Just as New Jersey is the place for Pennsylvanians to go for lower liquor prices, Delaware is a regular port of call for smokers from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and even New York.
Do the math. . . .
Compare that to Delaware, where the tax is a mere 55 cents a pack, although Gov. Ruth Minner would like to raise it to $1.
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