So. Who's giving up smoking because of the new tax?

[teela brown]

Doesn't that go into effect today? Makes a pack of cigarettes cost a buck more, IIRC.

So who's going to pack it in because they're smokes are getting too expensive?

Mr. brown said that he'd give up his cigars, but I don't hold out much hope. He's got an addictive personality and has a poor record of kicking bad habits.

[Detroit Hoser]

The tax is on cigars, too? Good thing marijuana is still illegal then, so it can't be taxed to hell.

[CrazyCatLady]

How much does a pack of smokes run these days, anyway? Outside the tobacco belt, that is. I think it's something like $5 a pack here in KY.

[freudian_slip]

It's $5.14 in Minneapolis.

[Detroit Hoser]

Three weeks ago it was $6.35 in metro Detroit for a pack of Marlboros. This might be the impetus for those who were pretty much ready to quit at this point. But since you can't quit until you're really ready I think it's going to be painful for hardcore nicotine addicts. It's fun to kick people who are already suffering in the lower economic brackets, right?

[freudian_slip]

That is the problem. It actually does cut down on light to moderate smokers. It serves as a regressive tax on the heavily addicted smokers.

Although, it makes nicotine replacement therapies cheaper by comparison.

[AuntiePam]

I'm cutting down but I don't know if I'll quit. Marlboro keeps sending me coupons.

Here in Iowa, there's an 800 number you can call to get free nicotine gum or patches. Maybe other states are doing that too.

A friend who was getting cheap smokes by mail got caught and had to pay a big fine. She also has a truck driver friend who brings smokes back from states where the tax isn't so high.

I can't help but wonder why there's no tax increase on alcohol.

[Hi, Neighbor!]

Packs will go up to $6.28 here. I won't quit, but I'll probably cut down.

[KMG365]

I'm not gonna quit but I am cutting down.

[Silver Fire]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

I can't help but wonder why there's no tax increase on alcohol.

You know, I've been wondering about this a lot, too. My dad was bitching the other day about the cigarette tax and decided everybody in congress is an unrepentant alcoholic. He says it's the only thing that makes sense.

[Pansy]

Originally Posted by freudian_slip

Although, it makes nicotine replacement therapies cheaper by comparison.

As of today, 14 patches are 2/3rds the price of one carton of Marlboro Lights.

I'm thinking about quitting because of the price.

[Who_me?]

Quitters never win.

[ItsInTheCards]

Cigarettes are somewhere between 6 and 7 dollars here in Texas. I'm going to attempt to quit starting Monday. While the increase in cost is definitely a drag (get it? hee, hee), I've decided that I could better afford a new vehicle and the house I'm closing on if I lightened the load, so to speak.

I'm not looking forward to Monday, but I will enjoy my last weekend as a smoker tremendously.

[welby]

I'm in the process of trying to quit right now, so this will probably make it easier for me. I hope.

[cowgirl]

I smoke tobacco socially, and my frequency was definitely affected when I realized how much cheaper it is to roll your own (I think a pack of regular cigarettes is nearly $10, and a pouch of tobacco - from which I can roll significantly more than 20 smokes - is well under $20). I hardly notice the price increases any more.

I agree that it's a regressive tax on the heavily addicted. I know an old man whose life has not been easy, due to his psychiatric conditions and the treatments he has endured for them. With all the shit that his body has been through, at this point the cigarettes are the least of his problems. He was actually advised by his doctor NOT to quit smoking, because he's managing his life independently, in more comfort and safety than ever before, and the stress of trying to quit could destroy him.

It makes me very sad that so much of his very limited income has to go to this essentially fixed expense.

[Muskrat Love]

I've been trying to get my wife to switch to snus just for the health benefits, maybe the increase in cigarette prices will help.

[Control-Z]

The guy in front of me in the checkout line last night was complaining about the price of cigarettes. $52 for a carton of cigarettes, IIRC. I told him he should buy beer instead, he said yeah that or it would probably be cheaper to smoke weed.

[pbbth]

I'm not a smoker, but my old roommate was a smoker so I know that 6 months ago a pack of cigarettes in NYC was about $8 but they often have BOGO sales on various brands. I would guess the tax brings the cost up somewhere between $9 and $10. This kind of thing makes me glad I am not a smoker.

[Sybarite]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

<snip>
I can't help but wonder why there's no tax increase on alcohol.

I think the economic times are probably a big factor in that. Can't keep people from their booze when everything else is going to shit - that would be unsporting.

[Boon]

Most places in Vegas increased prices back in March, so it was a gradual thing. I'm not quitting, but I'll be buying more Marlboro Medium's and 72's BOGO.

[Homer]Stupid taxes.[/Homer]

[Hi, Neighbor!]

Thank god for coupons. I still have a bunch of "$3.40 Off Two Packs" coupons that I received in the mail.

[cowgirl]

Coupons for cigarettes! I'm pretty sure that sort of thing is illegal in Canada because I have never seen such a thing - nor a sale on them.

Government attitudes towards smoking here are senseless. They regularly raise taxes to discourage consumption, then become alarmed at the predictable increase in smuggling, so they lower taxes to discourage it, then become alarmed at the increase in people buying cigarettes, and raise them again. Repeat as necessary.

We were also early adopters of the disgusting warning photos on cigarette packs and draconian laws that require vendors to hide all tobacco products behind screens so that innocent children might not be tempted. Even the tobacco store - with the "You must be 19 years old or older to enter" sign - is required to hide their smokes. This means that, to a casual observer, tobacco shops look like they specialize in marijuana paraphernalia. In fact, once I went in looking for a cigarette case to carry my loose tobacco around in, and I could not find one without a pot leaf on it, or a Grateful Dead teddy bear, or a skull with flames shooting out of it.

Smoking has been banned in all public places for years now and you get glared at if you light up anywhere near a building entrance. (I honestly smell more pot on the street than cigarette smoke these days.)

One result of all this is that most of the time I am around cigarettes, it is on vacation - on someone's backyard patio, in Europe, etc. So now, whenever it's hot, I'm outside, and I don't have work to do, I want to smoke cigarettes.

I blame draconian anti-smoking laws for my social smoking habit! If I had to look at my colleagues sitting around in badly ventilated areas, coughing and reeking, or smell smoke while I was eating in a restaurant, I probably wouldn't be interested in the stuff at all. Instead, the only time I encounter cigarette smoke is when it's fun and glamorous.

[The Futility of Nihilism]

In dire economic times like these, it is imperative that all smokers increase their smoking so that tobacco farmers get more income that in turn goes back into the economy and, even more importantly, so that more tax revenue can be generated to help fund the big bail-outs of banks that have lost their money gambling. [/non-smoker]

[FrozenBananas]

A pack of Marlboros in Upstate New York is around $7.50-$8 now. I started rolling my own about six months ago, and was buying bulk tobacco for about $15 a pound. They just added over thirty dollars in taxes to that, so I stocked up beforehand. I've got four pounds on hand, getting ready for the big quit. I will not pay three times as much for the privilege of being stinky and wheezy.

[Lanzy]

So will enough people quit or cut back so that the tax doesn't actually bring in any more money?

[Rodak from Zortron]

I'll be giving it up. I've been able to pick 'em up/ put 'em down pretty much at will ever since I kicked Kool Filter Kings, cold turkey, years ago. Screwed me up for good.

Marlboros were $3.29 on sale at the corner market a couple of weeks ago. Since went up dramatically ("Everything's going up!") and I bet they go up again.

[teela brown]

Originally Posted by FrozenBananas

A pack of Marlboros in Upstate New York is around $7.50-$8 now. I started rolling my own about six months ago, and was buying bulk tobacco for about $15 a pound. They just added over thirty dollars in taxes to that, so I stocked up beforehand. I've got four pounds on hand, getting ready for the big quit. I will not pay three times as much for the privilege of being stinky and wheezy.

Wait - one now pays $30 tax on $15 worth of loose tobacco??

[timbicile]

You can take my smokes when you pry them from my cold, dead nicotine stained fingers.

[CrazyCatLady]

Originally Posted by ItsInTheCards

I've decided that I could better afford a new vehicle and the house I'm closing on if I lightened the load, so to speak.

I did a back of the envelope calculation on how much money my parents had saved since quitting smoking, and the results were . Over $40K. And that's assuming their consumption didn't go up and prices stayed the same as they were 12 years ago, mind you. Given the price increases since then, the actual number is probably somewhere north of $55K. That's a hell of a lot of money.

[Og.]

Another own roller here - just cant afford the near £6 (UK pound) a pack B&H 20 - own rolling cut the expenditure to 25% + of what it was, that is using one of those rizla rolling machine deallies and making them with a filter in it.
Its a pain in the arse to roll one, you have to pre plan leaving eough tobacco out so its not pouch moist (nearly wet) and if you forget it's the turn to dust on touching material.
It really is better for the chest too, you dont smoke so much and it doesnt have all those horrid chemicals that the readymade one alledgedly do just to keep them alight.
Yeah most own mades will have to relight 3 or 4 times before finished,(useless if your outside working) it contains a quarter of the tobacco of a bought one and it's a major incentive to quit!

[takowasakun]

According to the current exchange rate, a pack of smokes is about 3 dollars even here. Downright steal.

Too bad I don't smoke.

[Who_me?]

Originally Posted by seodoa

According to the current exchange rate, a pack of smokes is about 3 dollars even here. Downright steal.

Too bad I don't smoke.

What are the postage rates?

They started early charging the tax here in Maryland, so I've been paying just under $6.00 a pack for about a month. I'll probably start looking at the specials, but right now the 2 for 1 cigarette is Marlboro menthol and I'm not that desperate yet.

[Kalhoun]

Originally Posted by CrazyCatLady

I did a back of the envelope calculation on how much money my parents had saved since quitting smoking, and the results were . Over $40K. And that's assuming their consumption didn't go up and prices stayed the same as they were 12 years ago, mind you. Given the price increases since then, the actual number is probably somewhere north of $55K. That's a hell of a lot of money.

We figured out that the new cost of cigarettes is roughly equal to what we were paying for our mortgage payment.

[Qwisp]

I complained about a week ago that I bought my last carton. So far I have stuck to that. Unfortunately I have been buying individual packs. I haven't quite quit yet, but I have cut back by about a half of pack. I think if I were working it might be easier. It's hard when I'm stressed over unemployment to quit. On the other hand it's hard not to stress over the price of smokes when I'm unemployed. I must admit I wish it were still the eighties and I could smoke where ever the hell I wanted, including doctors waiting rooms.

[takowasakun]

Originally Posted by Who_me?

What are the postage rates?

They started early charging the tax here in Maryland, so I've been paying just under $6.00 a pack for about a month. I'll probably start looking at the specials, but right now the 2 for 1 cigarette is Marlboro menthol and I'm not that desperate yet.

Whenever I want to shock my smoker friends, I tell them what a pack of Marlboros costs in the US. Any of them that had any pie-in-the-sky dreams of moving to the other side of the Pacific quickly change their minds.

[Random Precision]

I quit smoking about 2 1/2 years ago because of 1) a new $1 a pack tax and 2) as a present for my wife's birthday. To be honest, I haven't (yet) given up nicotine - I chew the hell out of some nicotine gum. But it's a) not as bad as cigarettes and b) has NO sales tax. Win-Win.

[Panacea]

Wow. I didn't realize the Fed tax on cigarettes was going up... I quit in October of '07.

Some of my family still smokes, but I haven't heard any of them mention it. A pack of Marlboros here was about $3.50.

[Yorikke]

Without having read any of the posts:

Ha! I have been selling cigs for 20 years. When I started, they were $1.85 a pack. Now, the most expensive is > $7.00. When they were $1.85, People were saying that they'd quit when it hit $2.00. Then $3.00. Then $4.00. Etcetera

I sell just as much now as I did on March 1.

Joe

[Detroit Hoser]

I was supposed to quit over two years ago due to heart malfunctions, but it was a here and there kinda thing. I'm happy to say that right now I have very little desire to light up. The price increase just makes it easier to be abstinent.

[Panacea]

Hey Joe, here in Miss. it seems like the price of cigs was always close to the same as a gallon of gas! When I started smoking a pack was 55 cents, I think, and gas was around the same. I could fill up the tank on my little Beetle for $5. Heh.

[Khampelf]

Originally Posted by Detroit Hoser

It's fun to kick people who are already suffering in the lower economic brackets, right?

The truly poor are taking it hardest. The price of rolling tobacco has more than fucking doubled. Tax class J used to get a pass, mostly. We are experiencing all of the past tax hikes at once. The can of Bali Shag I used to get for twelve bucks is now 25.

I've considered quitting, but. I have slowed down some. Though I realize I've had three since sitting down with my coffee this morning. at myself.

[Khampelf]

Originally Posted by teela brown

Wait - one now pays $30 tax on $15 worth of loose tobacco??

Where I am, the pound that used to cost $17 is now $24. Dunno about NY, maybe they used the increase to gouge the roll your own folk. I think they changed the tax code so that we aren't getting the pass we used to. Rolling tobacco has gone up more than pack smokes, it seems.

Wait, did I just say that? I don't always read the whole thread before responding. My bad.

[Yorikke]

Originally Posted by NinetyWt

Hey Joe, here in Miss. it seems like the price of cigs was always close to the same as a gallon of gas! When I started smoking a pack was 55 cents, I think, and gas was around the same. I could fill up the tank on my little Beetle for $5. Heh.

Cigs just go up and up, but gas goes up and down. At its peak, gas was the same, within a few cents, as a pack of Marlboros. Now, it's only about 40% of the price of the Marlboros.

Joe

[Buckeye]

My husband quit April 1st. He is 45 and smoked roughly for 33 years. He is using the patch and so far so good. He was up to 3 packs a day. He is doing great.

[Qwisp]

Just tell him how much better sex is now that he quit. The penis gets more blood after a male smoker quits. That ought to be extra incentive.

[bengangmo]

marlboros here in Singapore are $11.50 (Singapore $) per pack (about $8 USD) across the border in Malaysia they are $9 - Malaysian Ringgit (about $4 SGD or a little shy of $3 USD)

Yep - lots of people smuggle cigarettes - why do you ask?

[Victor Frankenstein]

Originally Posted by seodoa

Whenever I want to shock my smoker friends, I tell them what a pack of Marlboros costs in the US. Any of them that had any pie-in-the-sky dreams of moving to the other side of the Pacific quickly change their minds.

They are about $11 a pack Canadian

[Agent Foxtrot]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

I can't help but wonder why there's no tax increase on alcohol.

Because the wealthy and connected still drink.

[BarbarianAtTheGate]

I bought a 2-month supply just before the tax increase, and I am determined to never buy another pack of cigarettes. Of course, bold talk like that is easy when I know I won't actually have to do anything about it for 8 more weeks. We'll see how it pans out when I actually have to take action. I've tried before to quit and the results were, well, did I mention that I just bought a 2-month supply?

But notice I said I wouldn't buy another pack of cigarettes. My back-up plan was to start buying the cheaper bulk tobacco and begin rolling my own, on the theory that the additional inconvenience would encourage me to quit altogether. But the folks who are saying that this latest tax hit the bulk stuff too are scaring me. Guess I better check out the prices next time I'm in the grocery store. I might have to go with the gum or the lozenges.

Bottom line, I'm tired of being the sucker who carries the burden of higher taxes just because of my weakness for nicotine. If it all went to health care I could probably see it, but I don't believe that's the case, I'm pretty sure a good chunk of the taxes I've been paying on tobacco go right into the General Fund. To hell with that, I'm going to quit out of spite so you all can pay higher income taxes.

[timbicile]

Originally Posted by Qwisp

Just tell him how much better sex is now that he quit. The penis gets more blood after a male smoker quits. That ought to be extra incentive.

And if thats not true it will take his mind off cigarettes.