Author Topic: ACTION ALERT FOR ALL CIGAR ENTHUSIASTS! (TAXES!)  (Read 776 times)

RadioFreeSeaLab

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ACTION ALERT FOR ALL CIGAR ENTHUSIASTS! (TAXES!)
« on: July 17, 2007, 07:17:02 PM »
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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

Phantom Warrior

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Re: ACTION ALERT FOR ALL CIGAR ENTHUSIASTS! (TAXES!)
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2007, 09:08:01 PM »
As much as I LOATH smoking (don't smoke, don't like the smell, too many years of picking up cigarette butts), I am troubled by the increasing willingness to fund anything and everything by taxing cigarettes.  Cigarettes are really bad for you (yes, it's a medical fact), but so are a number of things and it raises the scary possibility of restricting behavior through taxation.  Like the NFA, for example.

Mabs2

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Re: ACTION ALERT FOR ALL CIGAR ENTHUSIASTS! (TAXES!)
« Reply #2 on: July 18, 2007, 08:53:08 AM »
I agree.
I'm torn on public smoking bans as well.
People should be able to smoke wherever they want as long as they don't bother anyone.
Unfortunately, 99% of the smokers I know don't care who they bother when they smoke...

I know MANY smokers.
Only two has moved away from me or stepped out of the house to smoke. 

I even have an aunt that smoked while pregnant and continues to smoke around the baby and in my house, despite everyone asking her not to.
I stay away from her when she does, sadly she smokes in the room with the return.

"MY LUNGS" she says...

But still, I digress.
Not right to punish all the nice smokers that I'm sure are out there somewhere for the actions of the few that ruin my lives.  Plus, taxing things into oblivion isn't new, and I'm surprised it hasn't happened to firearm stuff.  Best not to let them get used to it.
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Ezekiel

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Re: ACTION ALERT FOR ALL CIGAR ENTHUSIASTS! (TAXES!)
« Reply #3 on: July 18, 2007, 08:55:23 AM »
I adore good cigars, although I do not smoke them in my home.

In any event, this is merely going to make my fellow (tax exempt) Native Smokeshop owners even MORE $$$.

But, yeah, it's ridiculous.  Sad
Zeke

RevDisk

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Re: ACTION ALERT FOR ALL CIGAR ENTHUSIASTS! (TAXES!)
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2007, 05:41:10 PM »
As much as I LOATH smoking (don't smoke, don't like the smell, too many years of picking up cigarette butts), I am troubled by the increasing willingness to fund anything and everything by taxing cigarettes.  Cigarettes are really bad for you (yes, it's a medical fact), but so are a number of things and it raises the scary possibility of restricting behavior through taxation.  Like the NFA, for example.

The obscenely excessive taxes have nothing whatsoever to do with any health concerns.  Money and control.
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Sindawe

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Re: ACTION ALERT FOR ALL CIGAR ENTHUSIASTS! (TAXES!)
« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2007, 06:04:45 PM »
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The obscenely excessive taxes have nothing whatsoever to do with any health concerns.  Money and control.

Yeppers, remember thats how bans on our favorite toys that go BANG and another form of smokable vegetation started.  With taxes.
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