New York State taxes the sale of cigarettes at $4.35 per pack.
It is estimated that 57 percent of those in New York State smoke cigs smuggled in — even from Pennsylvania believe it or not. This means that New York gets zero revenue from most of its cigarette smokers. If the state were to halve the tax it would likely get more revenue than it does at its current rate.
This also means that well over half of New York smokers are willing to break the law rather than obey one they find pointless and oppressive.
Just something for all the nanny-state, government-educated can’t-think-for-themselves “progressives” to consider.
New York City adds $1.50 per pack on top of it. One strongly suspects that nobody in the city is buying their smokes with a state stamp.
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