Last chance for cheap smokes
7:05 AM Thu, Apr 09, 2009 | Permalink
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Today is the last day to buy a cheap pack of cigarettes. Starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Rhode Island's new cigarette tax takes effect - and state tax officials will be out in force to help enforce it. The $1-a-pack tax hike will raise Rhode Island's cigarette tax to $3.46 a pack, highest in the nation. That's on top of a 62-cent jump in the federal tax on cigarettes, which took effect April 1 - the single largest increase in the history of the federal tobacco tax. As a result, the average price for a pack of 20 cigarettes in Rhode Island on Friday will jump to about $8.24, state Tax Administrator David M. Sullivan said. The recent average price stood at about $6.50 a pack, before taking into account the higher federal tax, the higher Rhode Island tax, and the overall impact of Rhode Island state sales tax, he said.
Rhode Island is the first state with a cigarette tax of $3 or more, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The group says that 12 states and the District of Columbia have cigarette tax rates of $2 or more per pack; 26 states and the District of Columbia have cigarette tax rates of $1 or more per pack. At least 22 states have legislation pending to increase tobacco taxes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The increase in Rhode Island's cigarette tax is the result of a supplemental budget that was approved by the General Assembly and took effect earlier this week without Governor Carcieri's signature. The measure is intended to close a state budget deficit of more than $350 million for the year ending June 30. The increase in the federal cigarette tax springs from legislation approved by Congress and signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 4 as part of a measure to provide health insurance for children. After the close of business today, retailers in Rhode Island must conduct an inventory of the cigarettes they have available for sale, then pay to Rhode Island the extra $1 in cigarette tax per pack, Sullivan said. State tax officials are gearing up to enforce the new law. On Friday, at least 20 teams of auditors from the state Division of Taxation will visit retailers "to help them [regarding] their inventory and answer any questions they may have," Sullivan said in an interview at state tax agency headquarters in Providence. "We're obviously going to be on the road" on Friday, visiting convenience stores and other locations where cigarettes are sold, Sullivan said. A separate tax increase took effect on Wednesday for pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco and certain other tobacco products. That tax, which was 40 percent of the wholesale price, doubled to 80 percent. 
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cant wait to leave this state on saturday!! and wont be back!!!! good luck little rhody you'll need it
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Pathetic......time to visit the Indians. Oh yes, and don't choke on your sandwich
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Down south they are still cheap! Just get them shipped in, if you ship in quantities it is still cheaper!
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There are cheap cigarettes today? Where?
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Just buy them out of state. I would even if they cost more just so that the extra tax money doesn't get into the hands of those who already don't know how to run our state.
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As always, the state will assume a big increase of revenue. When people either quit smoking or buy their cigs elsewhere, state officials will scratch their heads wondering why the budget deficit if larger due to a DROP in revenue....DUH!
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For those who said "get the shipped," I hope you're paying the excise tax on them.
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Well.....
8+ per pack now.They say this will encourage ppl to stop smoking.......really???
Lets see....there is Connecticut and Massuchusetts right next door.There is New Hampshire only a short drive away as well.
Or even easier is the on line cheap cigs web sites.
And if you do that you run the risk of being charged by the state for skipping the State tax but since they are strangeling us with this new tax what do they expect.
And the real bottom line here is....how many times have U heard ppl say...when the price of cigs becomes X I will quit....well...here we are at X+ and ppl will still continue to smoke.
The addidtion of public studies of stopping smoking just helps them to try to justify the tax increase.
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GOV. CARCIERI BOASTS THAT THE STATE IS "OPEN FOR BUSINESS" WHILE RAISING CIG. TAX TO THE HIGHEST IN THE COUNTRY RESULTING IN DOZENS OF INDEPENDANT CONVENIENCE STORES CLOSING AND HUNDREDS OF EMPLOYEE'S ON UNEMPLOYMENT - SMOKERS WILL CONTINUE TO SMOKE HOWEVER, THEY WILL BUY OUT OF STATE OR THE INTERNET WHILE R.I. LOSSE'S OUT ON BOTH EXCISE AND SALES TAX-- WHEN WILL OUR POLITCIAN'S GET IT -- WHY DOES THE SMALLEST STATE ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE THE HIGHEST TAXES ??
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I support the smokers and feel bad the taxes are so high. Be nice to the smokers. They help balance the state and federal budget. Without the smokers we would be paying a higher sales tax. The poor guy on front page that smokes 3 packs a day. I feel bad for him that the taxes are so high. I ask the smokers to keep smoking because they are a very big help to the federal and state budgets. I am on your side. I smoked back when it was 50 cents a pack and got mad and quit.
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Here's an idea for all you outraged people:
QUIT SMOKING.
That way you can deprive the evil Gov. C of his cigarette tax and save yourself a ton of bucks! Win-win! Yippee.
But maybe it's more fun to kill yourself, foul the air, taste like camel dung, and pay thousands of $$ a year for cancer sticks. Oh, and be continually p.o.'ed at the state government. Yeah, that must be it.
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I quit when they started talking about the $1.00 hike in the cigarette tax. It has been four months, cold turkey. $6.50 per pack was too much. I can't even begin to imagine what my bottom line would look like at $8.00+ per pack. Smokers, do yourselves a favor and just quit. It is tough, but worth it. Plus, you get to say "stick your tax up your collective behinds" to the "leaders" of this dump.
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I think they need to tax alcohol too, maybe that would help with all the idiots who drink and drive and kill. Oh, also make pot legal and tax that as well!! Maybe kids wont have enough money to buy it! How about taxing Cheesburgers and french fries! That will help out the obesity problem. Stupid, It doesnt matter what you tax, If people want something they going to get it and they will find a cheaper route to do it. If people are getting Butts shipped to them from a different state, they are not going to pay the excise tax or any tax to this state. So now what, do we spend more money so the state can investigate all the smokers who are buying out of state?? Its a snowball effect that is just going to make everything worse.
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I couldn't be happier and completely agree with Elizabeth, and congratulations KLF! If everyone is so outraged, quit. It's a disgusting and harmful habit to begin with. There is no excuse for smoking...you're harming yourself and those around you. Spend you're time complaining about things that actually matter.
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$8.24 a pack?!!! Wow! I guess smokin' in RI is now only for the rich...
I'm a native R.I.'r, but I live in Arizona--I pay just under $5.00 a pack...and even THAT is too expensive.
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I completely agree with "K". How about taxing everyones bad habits! Then it's fair across the board. People eat too much, drink too much, smoke too much, shop too much, talk on the phone/text too much...get the point?!!
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Even though I am an ex heavy smoker, I side with the smokers on this one; don't try to balance the budget on the backs of one group. How about a $2 tax on every bottle of wine or $3 on every 6 pack of beer-imagine the money rolling in every weekend, not to mention holidays!
If the money taken in is to be used for smoking related illness, then go for it, but to fill the pension funds, special interests and make up short falls due to "business" tax incentives, no way.
And where is the ACLU when you need them?
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While I agree smoking is unhealthy, heck i am a smoker. However I have never seen someone smoke too many cigs and kill a mother of six in a smoking and driving accident, ive never seen someone smoke too many cigs and beat thier kids or wife or husband, ive never seen someone smoke too many cigs at a party or a bar and get raped or taken advantage of...but we can't look to alcohol as a problem, our state officials make faaaar too much pocket money thro alcohol distribution via the unions that "take care" of places like Centrex.
As for the people saying the complainers should just quit and be concerned with more important issues...think about how hippocritical that statement is. You support the money and time it took to up cigarette taxes when our state government should be focusing on real issues like the homeless, employement or the upswing in crime state wide...but your right smoking is unhealthy and the more important issue......riiiiiight.
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