A few news stories came out recently exposing how Big Tobacco has been using millions of dollars to influence lawmakers and laws in Californina and New Hampshire. These are just two examples of the tobacco industry's power and control over politics and ultimately, the public's health.
According to an American Heart Association study, the tobacco industry spent $9.3 million during the past two years to fight cigarette taxes, support candidates and influence politics in California. And in the past 10 years, Big T has spent almost $100 million ($50 million coming from Phillip Morris) in hopes to oppose bills to tax changes and endorse tobacco-industry-friendly candidates. Read more here.
In New Hampshire, lawmakers supportive of a 10-cent DECREASE to cigarette taxes claimed that they were trying to raise revenue by lowing the cost of cigarettes to bring in smokers from neighboring states. Logically flawed thinking is what it is! "New Hampshire, at $1.78, already had the lowest cigarette tax rate by far. Maine's tobacco tax is $2 a pack, Massachusetts $2.51 and Vermont is $2.61 a pack. It was hard to see what difference lowering it to $1.68 would make."
And to top it off, what this actually turned in to, of course, is a profit boost for the tobacco industy. According to The Portsmouth Herald and seacoastonline.com as soon as the decrese went into effect, the tobacco companies raised prices.
Have you noticed that cigarette prices in WI have increased recentlly too?!? And it has NOTHING to do with a tax increase (the last state tax increase went into effect in September of 2009 and the last federal tax increase went into effect in March of 2009). All in an effort to make more money for their shareholders, regardless of how many kids they addict or how many adults die from tobacco-related diseases.
The greed of the tobacco industry is dispicable.
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