Cigarette Tax

 

The "Big Mac" Tax

 
 

Taxes Going Up? ...Too Late, They Already Have

Cigarette Tax - No Tax Hikes for Middle Class?
Obama - No Tax Hikes for Middle Class?

We all heard it, your taxes will not go up one dime if you make under $250,000, wait a second, it was $200,000, oops sorry, it was $150,000. The amount varied depending on which speech you listened to during then Senator Obama’s presidential campaign, but the theme was clear that he promised not to raise any taxes on the middle class. In July of 2008, Obama gave a speech of particular importance in which he said this, “And I can make a firm pledge. Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase — not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital-gains taxes, not any of your taxes.” Two phrases in this promise stand out in my mind, “firm pledge” and “not any of your taxes.” Well Mr. President, which part of “any” did you not understand? It only took you about two weeks in office to break this “firm pledge”.

On April 1, 2009, a new cigarette tax went into effect which raised the U.S. Federal Tax on a pack of cigarettes from $0.39 to $1.01 per pack. I’m a smoker so I’ve got to ask myself two questions – “do I make under $250,000” and “did my taxes go up”? Okay Mr. President, so much for your “firm pledge”. I’ve heard all the arguments, “it’s a voluntary tax.” Can anyone explain to me what a “voluntary tax” is? I didn’t volunteer to pay more taxes. Another well worded and convincing argument was, “you should quit smoking anyway.” Now for my all time favorite, “it’s not a real tax, it’s a sin tax.”

I thought sin was supposed to be between me and God, but evidently others feel differently. I was raised in the Baptist church and the number one and number two sins most hammered on were smoking and drinking. Well, the Bible I’ve read says, “Do not mix with winebibbers or with gluttonous eaters of meat.” This is what I affectionately call the “Baptist syndrome” – pick on the sins you don’t do, but don’t say anything about the ones you do. What I propose is this, why not have a “gluttonous eaters of meat” tax? We could call it the “Big Mac” tax.

 

(Click for free tax software)

 

Tea Party Articles - The Big Mac Tax
The "Big Mac" Tax

If we use a tax rate similar to cigarettes, that $3.50 Big Mac would now cost you about $8.00, and if 550 million Big Macs are sold in the US each year, the government could rake in about 2.5 billion in tax revenue each year just on Big Macs alone. But why stop there, why not include the Whopper, the Old Fashioned Triple, the Jumbo Jack, and the rest? Oh, and we haven’t even started on the other sins we could tax. If we taxed gossip in Washington DC alone, we could solve the national debt crisis in a matter of months. How about this one, Mr. President, why don’t we tax lying, or shall we be politically correct and say, “breaking firm pledges”?

The bottom line is this, I make under $250,000 a year and my taxes went up. So, where does it end? There are many other “promises” out there to be broken and many other things left to tax. And with all the out-of-control spending by our government, there will be no choice except to raise everyone’s taxes or send America into bankruptcy. I would say stop spending and printing money and you won’t have to raise our taxes. To the non-smokers and Baptists out there I say this; pretty soon, they will find your sin too.

by Michael Kinzie

 

Revised April 20, 2011

 

 

Tea Party Articles - Comments Comments

 

  • From Dee in Texas - Thanks so much for this article!  It's always easy to go along with taxing the other guy!  But people need to understand that Progressive changes are NEVER for the reason given publicly.  They don't care about your well-being.  It's all about gaining and holding onto power... more power... ALL power.
    The entire "war on smoking" has been a test - an "exercise" in brainwashing and manipulating the American People into voluntarily giving up their own Freedom of Choice - and forcibly taking away the other guy's Freedom.
    Smokers were just the Pilot Project.  Then came "evil" words, and Political Correctness.  Now it's Food Police, dictating what you can/can't eat.
    And it's not going to stop because it's not about us - it's about turning America into s Socialist Police State.
  • From Lynn in Texas - My view is that anyone who believed Obama even initially has been doomed to a vivid and painful awakening. Obama is like the toxic boss who makes you jump through hoops and keeps you too busy to look effectively for a better job.  Maybe we need to find HIM a better job in order to get rid of him.  Trouble is, what's more fun than being the US President?!?!?  We've got a BIG task ahead to change this fish which is rotting from the head down.
  • From Chris in South Dakota - Most smokers are adults and many are on fixed incomes. Not only did they raise tax on cigarettes from $3 a carton to $10 a carton, they raised the tax on rolling tobacco a whopping $25 A POUND, AND they mandated that every cigarette sold in this country have bogus "fire proof" paper. This paper tastes like sh*t. It has has never been tested to see if it is safe and it has literally made TENS OF THOUSANDS of smokers ill. Those who voted for this legislation need to be voted out of office and this legislation needs to be repealed.
  • From Kathy in Texas - Very interesting article. Shows a view from the smokers side that most of us non-smokers don't think about. Good points!
  • From Mike in Illinois - It's almost like, "Read my lips, no new taxes!"
   

 

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