Etiam pulvinar consectetur dolor sed malesuada. Ut convallis
euismod dolor nec pretium. Nunc ut tristique massa.
Nam sodales mi vitae dolor ullamcorper et vulputate enim accumsan.
Morbi orci magna, tincidunt vitae molestie nec, molestie at mi. Nulla nulla lorem,
suscipit in posuere in, interdum non magna.
To toot my own horn, just today I was quoted in the Chicago Daily Herald saying pretty much the same thing. Illinois just increased cigarette taxes to $.98 per pack under the guise of using those funds to help people quit. Then they cut much of the funding to the anti-smoking and health programs. That proves they are more interested in the taxes than people’s health.
http://www.dailyherald.com/news_story.asp?intid=3782164
Illinois Libertarian Party Executive Director Jeff Trigg said the latest events prove the state’s cigarette policies are all about dollars, not public health.
“They’re not taxing cigarettes to get people to quit. They’re taxing cigarettes because they’re addicted to the taxes,” Trigg said.
Not sure what Illinois considers a pack, but for comparison: the UK figure is £1.94 (approx $3.08) on a pack of 20, plus 22% of the retail list price, plus VAT on the whole tax-inclusive price at 17.5%.
(This and other glories can be found here.)