tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post113702901271669233..comments2020-04-11T03:30:02.282-05:00Gary R. Welshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15185079937305083438noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post-1137423525766772732006-01-16T09:58:00.000-05:002006-01-16T09:58:00.000-05:00Iam sick an tired of everyone running back to the smoker to get extra money!!!! For years it was raising taxes on cigerettes to help fund schools, then they cut the budget on schools but didnt cut the taxes on cigerettes, where did that extra money go to? The tobacco companies paid indiana so much over a period of years where did that money go? If high cost of insurace is due to smoking then why are we useing the money for other things than what it should be used on. Drunk drivers kill alot of innoncent people or families then why not raise the taxes on alcohol (or guns) to fund the cost of lawenforcement. Then you can you use that money for other purposes. If the state cant manage thier budget then dont blame it all on the smoker to help out, blame the people that voted them in(tax them).In years to come once smokers stop an tobacco companies stop paying the big bucks where they going to get thier money at then, what are they going to use next to help out in thier misshandling of the budget.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post-1137086741005688662006-01-12T12:25:00.000-05:002006-01-12T12:25:00.000-05:00As a non-smoker, I'm not really concerned about how much a pack of cigarettes cost. What I am concerned about is how much we are taxing the people of our state. This increase will bring in an additional $150 million/year that state government will have to spend. If the purpose is to discourage smoking and not to increase taxes, then the Governor should have proposed an offsetting tax reduction.Gary R. Welshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15185079937305083438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post-1137079521309751842006-01-12T10:25:00.000-05:002006-01-12T10:25:00.000-05:00the governor said that the iraq war would cost between $50 and 60 billion. will this statement ever come back to haunt him? is he able to sleep at night knowing that his tacit approval of this invasion and the subsequent occupation had lead the deaths and horrible injuries to countless iraqis and (yes) americans? is running for governor and putting the state back into solid fiscal shape his way of of atoning for this horrible mistake that he made as well as for the blunders that he made in approving the bush tax cuts? i really wish he would just come out and say that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post-1137072186896144102006-01-12T08:23:00.000-05:002006-01-12T08:23:00.000-05:00I'm no fan of Daniels, but I agree with raising cigarette taxes too. If people complain about the high tax rate, at least they have a choice in the matter and can stop smoking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12703782.post-1137032780429874792006-01-11T21:26:00.000-05:002006-01-11T21:26:00.000-05:00Indiana has one of the worst records for teen smoking in the nation. Adult smoking related health costs are astronomical. The American Cancer Association gave Indiana an "F" for their efforts in educating the public about smoking risks and the programs to reduce smoking addiction.<BR/><BR/>Indiana has one of the lowest tobacco taxes in the nation.<BR/><BR/>Many companies do not offer private health insurance in the state of Indiana due to the high rates of disease and mortality.<BR/><BR/>I applaud the move to increase the tax on tobacco. A quarter is just a start. Let's start with a dollar on packs. Chewing tobacco should have a higher tax.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com