Cigarmakers in a panic

[Nimrod]

Tampa Times

As part of an increase in tobacco taxes designed to pay for children's health insurance, the nickel-per-cigar tax that has ruled the industry could rise to as much as $10 per cigar.

Remember, Rod said "Please refrain from discussing politics"!

 

[NullSmurf]

 

[Infinity]

Bruce, I'm LMAO...your pic is what I was doing subconsciously...classic.

Brian

 

[Rod]

This is one of those political discussions that needs discussing!

I've received several emails from both the RTDA as well as concerned cigar shops, who are all very concerned. We really do need to get the word out there and urge everyone to voice their concern to their senators.

See this site: http://rtda.org/legislation.html

 

[interscape]

Got this from MrBundles today.

Dear friends,
This morning I was informed about a disturbing memo from the CAA (Cigar Association of America) based in Washington, DC. They are on the forefront of the fight to help us keep our rights as cigar smoking Americans. Our government is out of control in regards to this latest proposal! They are tying cigars to cigarettes once again in a proposal to raise the federal tobacco tax to an unbelievably high amount. If this proposal passes, it will put many cigar retailers out of business and dramatically increase your cost of cigars!

Your immediate action on this issue is extremely important! The Senate Finance Committee will be wrapping this up in the next two days and send it before the full Senate within the week. Please read the following memo that we received this morning and call your senator as soon as possible!
________________________________________
Urgent Request
The U.S. Senate will shortly vote on a proposal to expand the state children’s health insurance program by $35 billion. Funding is to be provided solely through higher tobacco taxes. The tax increases on cigars are particularly punitive, as all large cigars would be subject to a tax of 53.13% of the manufacturer’s selling price. This is an increase of 156.4% over the current rate! And, while the current tax on cigars is capped so no cigar pays more than $.05 in federal taxes, the proposed legislation would increase the cap by 20,413% (not a typo) to $10 per cigar! The combination of these two factors will result in a dramatic increase in cigar prices in the U.S. and many cigar companies are likely to go out of business.

We urge you to phone the offices of your own U.S. Senators, give them your name and address and ask that they vote to oppose the punitively high cigar tax increases in the state children’s health insurance legislation. Please call only your own U.S. Senators because Senators respond to the concerns of their constituents, not to those who live in other states.

The current Senate Finance Committee proposal to fund expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) solely through higher tobacco taxes will have a draconian impact on the cigar industry. Indeed, it is the biggest threat to the cigar industry since President Clinton’s proposal in the early 1990s to fund universal health care on the back of the tobacco industry.

The Senate Finance Committee is expected to mark up the SCHIP legislation tonight. No changes are expected in the revenue provisions. The measure is likely to be considered by the full Senate, possibly next week.

Sen. John Warner: 202 224 2023
Sen. James Webb: 202 224 4024

You can find your local phone number for your state senator in your phone book or go to http://yellowpages.com
________________________________________
As you can see this issue is very serious and would have dramatic implications in all of our lives. We would all very much appreciate if you would call your US Senator ASAP!!

Thank you for your support!
Mike “uncle mikey” Banks
Herf House Cigars

 

[mmburtch]

Letters away to both senators.

 

[Devil Doc]

There's no chance my Senators would vote for this. Pity those of you that do.

Doc.

 

[Mike33]

Last I heard this wasn't even going to make it out of committee. Even if it did, it wouldn't have passed a full vote from the house....

 

[NullSmurf]

Actually, I'm scratching my head over Nimrod. Post #1 is a doosey, and political or not, needs to be discussed. I doubt there are any dissenters here who relish higher taxes. But, take a moment to introduce yourself.

 

[alexgtp]

ACTION ALERT FOR ALL CIGAR ENTHUSIASTS!
Currently before the United States Senate is a proposal to fund health insurance on the backs of tobacco products to the tune of $35 billion (that's Billion with a B). Most egregious is the proposed tax rate on cigars of 53.1%, including a breathtaking 20,400% increase in the cap. This would make handmade cigars - a true mom-and-pop industry, a product enjoyed by choice an average 3 times per week - the single largest excise taxed item in the entire Internal Revenue Code....by a long shot.

This piece of legislation is called SCHIP (State Childrens Health Insurance Plan). Tonight this bill is being marked up in the Senate Finance Committee and is expected to come to the Senate floor for a vote as early as end of week. We urge you to call both of your U.S. Senators today and express your opposition to funding "SCHIP legislation" with punitive cigar taxes. As a constituent your voice will be heard. Please see phone numbers below for your Senators.


Sincerely,

Keith Meier
Cigars International


List of United States Senators Office Phone Numbers

Alabama
Sen. Richard C. Shelby 202-224-5744
Sen. Jeff Sessions 202-224-4124

Alaska
Sen. Ted Stevens 202-224-3004
Sen. Lisa Murkowski 202-224-6665

Arizona
Sen. John McCain 202-224-2235
Sen. Jon L. Kyl 202-224-4521

Arkansas
Sen. Blanche L. Lincoln 202-224-4843
Sen. Mark Pryor 202-224-2353

California
Sen. Dianne Feinstein 202-224-3841
Sen. Barbara Boxer 202-224-3553

Colorado
Sen. Wayne Allard 202-224-5941
Sen. Ken Salazar 202-224-5852

Connecticut
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd 202-224-2823
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman 202-224-4041

Delaware
Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 202-224-5042
Sen. Thomas R. Carper 202-224-2441

Florida
Sen. Bill Nelson 202-224-5274
Sen. Mel Martinez 202-224-3041

Georgia
Sen. Saxby Chambliss 202-224-3521
Sen. Johnny Isakson 202-224-3643

Hawaii
Sen. Daniel K. Inouye 202-224-3934
Sen. Daniel K. Akaka 202-224-6361

Idaho
Sen. Larry E. Craig 202-224-2752
Sen. Mike Crapo 202-224-6142

Illinois
Sen. Richard J. Durbin 202-224-2152
Sen. Barack Obama 202-224-2854

Indiana
Sen. Richard G. Lugar 202-224-4814
Sen. Evan Bayh 202-224-5623

Iowa
Sen. Charles E. Grassley 202-224-3744
Sen. Tom Harkin 202-224-3254

Kansas
Sen. Sam Brownback 202-224-6521
Sen. Pat Roberts 202-224-4774

Kentucky
Sen. Mitch McConnell 202-224-2541
Sen. Jim Bunning 202-224-4343

Louisiana
Sen. Mary Landrieu 202-224-5824
Sen. David Vitter 202-224-4623

Maine
Sen. Olympia J. Snowe 202-224-5344
Sen. Susan M. Collins 202-224-2523

Maryland
Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski 202-224-4654
Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin 202-224-4524

Massachusetts
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy 202-224-4543
Sen. John F. Kerry 202-224-2742

Michigan
Sen. Carl Levin 202-224-6221
Sen. Debbie A. Stabenow 202-224-4822

Minnesota
Sen. Norm Coleman 202-224-5641
Sen. Amy Klobuchar 202-224-3244

Mississippi
Sen. Thad Cochran 202-224-5054
Sen. Trent Lott 202-224-6253

Missouri
Sen. Christopher S. "Kit" Bond 202-224-5721
Sen. Claire C. McCaskill 202-224-6154

Montana
Sen. Max Baucus 202-224-2651
Sen. Jon Tester 202-224-2644

Nebraska
Sen. Chuck Hagel 202-224-4224
Sen. Ben Nelson 202-224-6551

Nevada
Sen. Harry Reid 202-224-3542
Sen. John Ensign 202-224-6244

New Hampshire
Sen. Judd Gregg 202-224-3324
Sen. John E. Sununu 202-224-2841

New Jersey
Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg 202-224-3224
Sen. Robert Menendez 202-224-4744

New Mexico
Sen. Pete V. Domenici 202-224-6621
Sen. Jeff Bingaman 202-224-5521

New York
Sen. Charles E. Schumer 202-224-6542
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton 202-224-4451

North Carolina
Sen. Elizabeth Dole 202-224-6342
Sen. Richard Burr 202-224-3154

North Dakota
Sen. Kent Conrad 202-224-2043
Sen. Byron L. Dorgan 202-224-2551

Ohio
Sen. George V. Voinovich 202-224-3353
Sen. Sherrod Brown 202-224-2315

Oklahoma
Sen. James M. Inhofe 202-224-4721
Sen. Tom Coburn 202-224-5754

Oregon
Sen. Ron Wyden 202-224-5244
Sen. Gordon Smith 202-224-3753

Pennsylvania
Sen. Arlen Specter 202-224-4254
Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr. 202-224-6324

Rhode Island
Sen. Jack Reed 202-224-4642
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse 202-224-2921

South Carolina
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham 202-224-5972
Sen. Jim DeMint 202-224-6121

South Dakota
Sen. Tim Johnson 202-224-5842
Sen. John R. Thune 202-224-2321

Tennessee
Sen. Lamar Alexander 202-224-4944
Sen. Bob Corker 202-224-3344

Texas
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison 202-224-5922
Sen. John Cornyn 202-224-2934

Utah
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch 202-224-5251
Sen. Robert Bennett 202-224-5444

Vermont
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy 202-224-4242
Sen. Bernard Sanders 202-224-5141

Virginia
Sen. John W. Warner 202-224-2023
Sen. James Webb 202-224-4024

Washington
Sen. Patty Murray 202-224-2621
Sen. Maria Cantwell 202-224-3441

West Virginia
Sen. Robert C. Byrd 202-224-3954
Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV 202-224-6472

Wisconsin
Sen. Herbert H. Kohl 202-224-5653
Sen. Russ Feingold 202-224-5323

Wyoming
Sen. Craig Thomas 202-224-6441
Sen. Michael B. Enzi 202-224-3424

 

[BlindedByScience]

I e-mailed both my Senators this AM. Both are horribly liberal borderline socialist types, so I'll be interested to see what response, if any, I get back.....

Yes, I was polite and no, I didn't use any of the "seven words you can't say on TV"..... :laugh:

 

[PuroEsq]

While this probably will not even make it to the President's desk I have heard that he will veto any such tax increase.

Still a good idea to let our Senators know our minds on the issue.

 

[tsmckenney]

My calls are in.

 

[gtphale]

This is the one thing that would cause me to stop smoking cigars and start smoking weed instead.

 

[grateful1]

best read I've read - linky

 

[Wurm]

CigarCyclopedia.com's "no reply" email today was about this as well. I also sent emails off to my Senators this morning.

Sen. Arlen Specter 202-224-4254
Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr. 202-224-6324

 

[mmburtch]

At least I got a response. Oh yeah, this is the democrat response.

Dear Matt:

Thank you for your letter concerning the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). I appreciate hearing from you. The purpose of the SCHIP program is to provide health care to low-income children whose families may not qualify for Medicaid, but are uninsured due to low-income levels. This program is vital to helping all children in this country gain access to health care services. If children have access to quality health care, studies have shown they grow into healthier and more productive adults. Investing in children's health care is investing in our country's prosperity.

The SCHIP Program is due to expire this year. Because of this the Senate Finance Committee, of which I am a member, is considering reauthorization of the program. The committee is considering several changes to SCHIP. One change being proposed is an increase in funding for the program so that more eligible children can receive services. I support increased funding for SCHIP and believe the reauthorization of the program should include this. However, to pay for an increase in funding and increased services the Congress must come up with a way to increase federal revenues to cover these costs. One proposal which is being considered is an increase to the federal tax on tobacco products. There are several reasons for this consideration, including expectations that this policy would help to decrease smoking among Americans, especially young people. An increase in this tax and the increased price of tobacco products would impact the decisions of young people to ever start smoking. And if a young person makes the decision not to smoke they will increase the length of their own lives, as well as save our country money, because the costs of their health care over their lifetimes will decrease dramatically. I am considering this proposal. My priority is that the Congress increase funding for SCHIP, and I will work hard on proposals that enable this goal to be met.

I will keep your views and concerns in mind as I continue to work with my colleagues on the reauthorization of the SCHIP program.

Again, thank you for writing.

Sincerely,

Ken Salazar
United States Senator

 

[Wurm]

Oh brother you have to be kidding me...

 

[JimD]

I received just about the same BS letter from my senator.

 

[grateful1]

Ironically he says it will 'decrease smoking' - DUH ...then it will DECREASE REVENUE FOR THE PLAN!


I want to reply to guys like that with a : "did you really just say that?".