General Discussion

Travis_0004

(5,417 posts) Thu Dec 4, 2014, 11:01 AM Dec 2014

New York should lower ciggerette taxes to cut back on smuggling

I think its a waste of police time to go after people selling ciggerettes on the street, but I understand the shop keepers who are following the rules being undercut by street vendors. New York city could cut the ciggerette tax and make it unprofitable to smuggle ciggerettes. I read that over 50% of ciggerettes are smuggled in. A cut in taxes could bring in more revenue if smuggling also decreased.

I know if I was a smoker, I would buy a pack for 8.00 off the street vs 12.00 from a merchant.

17 replies

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New York should lower ciggerette taxes to cut back on smuggling (Original Post) Travis_0004 Dec 2014 OP

I agree. Perhaps if they would sell cigarettes at yeoman6987 Dec 2014 #1

How about stop executing people for selling untaxed cigarettes or for jay walking if you are in still_one Dec 2014 #2

+1 nt left_of_center Dec 2014 #8

This is exactly what Rand Paul said in response R B Garr Dec 2014 #3

NYC wants/needs the revenue from the sale of cigarettes Lurks Often Dec 2014 #4

If more than 50% are smuggled are they getting the most tax revenue? Travis_0004 Dec 2014 #9

They also don't want people smoking Lurks Often Dec 2014 #10

It's a bandaid and I honestly think we are well past the bandaid stage now. Jmho. nt nc4bo Dec 2014 #5

or we could just stop targeting and overly punishing black and hispanic men. La Lioness Priyanka Dec 2014 #6

When I was a kid I drove sorefeet Dec 2014 #7

Fuck Rand Paul. FSogol Dec 2014 #11

They will just find another misdemeanor LeftInTX Dec 2014 #12

OR Krytan11c Dec 2014 #13

The least they could do would be enough. Stop killing people over property crimes. marble falls Dec 2014 #14

This is now an Eric Garner memorial thread. Ykcutnek Dec 2014 #15

Police patrol communities of color in NYC looking for any excuse RedCappedBandit Dec 2014 #16

Or De Blasio could repeal his broken windows directive justiceischeap Dec 2014 #17

yeoman6987

(14,449 posts)

1. I agree. Perhaps if they would sell cigarettes at

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 11:05 AM

Dec 2014

A reasonable price. 8 dollars certainly seems reasonable to me, the cops would be doing other things. 12 dollars is just greedy.

still_one

(92,325 posts)

2. How about stop executing people for selling untaxed cigarettes or for jay walking if you are in

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 11:05 AM

Dec 2014

Missouri, or wearing a hoodie in Florida

left_of_center

(87 posts)

8. +1 nt

Reply to still_one (Reply #2)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 11:23 AM

Dec 2014

R B Garr

(16,966 posts)

3. This is exactly what Rand Paul said in response

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 11:10 AM

Dec 2014

to what he thought about seeing Eric Garner's death on video. I guess this is the Republican response now to police brutality.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/03/politics/rand-paul-eric-garner-taxes/

"On Wednesday, Paul said Garner's death would have been prevented if the law creating New York City's high cigarette taxes -- the highest in the country -- wasn't created."

Lurks Often

(5,455 posts)

4. NYC wants/needs the revenue from the sale of cigarettes

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 11:13 AM

Dec 2014

NYC wants people to quit smoking while at the same time depending on the revenues from cigarette sales. It becomes a vicious circle, as cigarette sales within the city drop, they raise the taxes even further to compensate.

Sure glad I quit by the time prices hit $5/pack

Travis_0004

(5,417 posts)

9. If more than 50% are smuggled are they getting the most tax revenue?

Reply to Lurks Often (Reply #4)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 11:31 AM

Dec 2014

Lurks Often

(5,455 posts)

10. They also don't want people smoking

Reply to Travis_0004 (Reply #9)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 11:37 AM

Dec 2014

NYC is a bit schizophrenic on certain vices that they get revenue from, like cigarettes

nc4bo

(17,651 posts)

5. It's a bandaid and I honestly think we are well past the bandaid stage now. Jmho. nt

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 11:14 AM

Dec 2014

La Lioness Priyanka

(53,866 posts)

6. or we could just stop targeting and overly punishing black and hispanic men.

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 11:14 AM

Dec 2014

sorefeet

(1,241 posts)

7. When I was a kid I drove

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 11:22 AM

Dec 2014

a catering truck. Didn't sell cigarette, but a competitor did. He sold his black market from Kentucky. That is when cigarettes costs 45 cents a pack. There will ALWAYS be a black market.

FSogol

(45,514 posts)

11. Fuck Rand Paul.

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 11:37 AM

Dec 2014

LeftInTX

(25,487 posts)

12. They will just find another misdemeanor

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 12:21 PM

Dec 2014

such as loitering. The cigs aren't the problem in this case.

Krytan11c

(271 posts)

13. OR

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 12:34 PM

Dec 2014

Cops could try to not kill people who sell loose cigarettes

marble falls

(57,145 posts)

14. The least they could do would be enough. Stop killing people over property crimes.

Reply to Krytan11c (Reply #13)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 12:36 PM

Dec 2014

Ykcutnek

(1,305 posts)

15. This is now an Eric Garner memorial thread.

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 12:39 PM

Dec 2014

RedCappedBandit

(5,514 posts)

16. Police patrol communities of color in NYC looking for any excuse

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 12:40 PM

Dec 2014

to stop and harass people.

If it wasn't cigarettes, it would have been something else.

The issue is ENFORCEMENT.

justiceischeap

(14,040 posts)

17. Or De Blasio could repeal his broken windows directive

Reply to Travis_0004 (Original post)

Thu Dec 4, 2014, 12:41 PM

Dec 2014

The main notion of the broken window theory is that small crimes can make way for larger crimes. If the "petty" criminals are often overlooked and given tacit permission to do what they want, then their level of criminality might escalate from petty crimes to more serious offenses. Bratton's goal was to attack while the offenders are still "green", as it would prevent an escalation to more serious criminal acts in the future.[16] According to the 2001 study of crime trends in New York by George Kelling and William Sousa,[17] rates of both petty and serious crime fell suddenly and significantly, and continued to drop for the following ten years.

However, some later research strongly suggested that there was no benefit from the targeting of petty crime.[18] The crime reduction may have been a result of the decrease of crime across America and other factors like the 39% drop in NYC's unemployment rate.[19]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory#New_York_City

Garner was targeted per the "Broken Windows theory" and it was never proven that he was actually selling the cigarettes he was accused of selling.

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