Jump to full article: Foster's Democrat, 2009-06-11
Author: Lina Merheb Derry / Ms. Merheb is the owner of Tobacco Empire in Salem
Intro: Since 2005, there have already been four cigarette tax hikes; three at the state level and one from the federal government. Just how much do these elected officials in Concord and Washington think they can continue to raise money from hard-working Americans before they break the camel's back? . . .
I witness the results first hand. As the owner of a store that sells a substantial volume of cigarettes, I don't just see these tax increases as we are changing the prices, but I see them directly in our bottom line. When the cost we have to pay to the government goes up, our margins, which are already razor thin, go down. Even though my costs are going up, I cannot raise the cost of cigarettes to compete against the government. . . .
I realize that it is fashionable to demonize smokers, but if these politicians spent just a short time in my store, they would know that these cigarette tax increases are hurting average, hard-working families.
Most of our cigarette customers are not doctors or lawyers. They are blue collar people who are struggling to make ends meet, like most Americans. . . .
The New Hampshire legislature needs to know that an 88 percent increase in the cost of cigarettes from tax hikes is already too much. We can't continue to hit hard-working families and small businesses with another crushing burden. Let's protect jobs and help our citizens by saying no to a cigarette tax hike. Lina Merheb
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