Jump to full article: PR Web, 2009-06-20
Intro: California legislators are grasping at tax straws that don't exist as they seek to raise billions of dollars that don't exist for a balanced state budget that doesn't exist, according to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.
Two legislators - Democrat Assemblyman Tom Torlakson of Contra Costa County and Democrat State Senator Alex Padilla of Los Angeles - have introduced AB89 and SB600, respectively. The bills propose to increase tobacco taxes to as much as $2.10 per pack of cigarettes on top of the current $.87 per pack state tax and recently increased federal taxes of $1.00 per pack plus correspondingly stiff increases on other tobacco products like cigars and pipe tobacco.
"It's easy to call these 'tobacco taxes', but the truth is they are discriminatory taxes that target some 15 percent of California adults who enjoy tobacco in one form or another , whether they smoke cigarettes or savor hand-made cigars" said Chris McCalla, legislative director of IPCPR.
"Real people pay these taxes; real people at all economic levels who vote and who have had enough overspending by government.
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