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Oct
31
I-149, Pro & Con
October 31, 2004 | 2 Comments
Next up: I-149, also known as The Healthy Kids Healthy Montana Tobacco Tax Increase Act. If passed, this initiative will raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes from the current $0.70 cents to $1.70 – one dollar per pack. The revenue raised by this initiative would go to fund state-sponsored health insurance, primarily, with some funds going into the general treasury.
PRO: if passed, this measure might reduce the number of people — primarily young adults — who begin smoking, and may entice long-time smokers to smoke less or quit due to the cost. Additionally, the money would ostensibly go towards a good cause — providing health insurance for low-income Montanans.
CON: if passed, this measure would arguably increase the number of people who traffic in black-market cigarettes, and it may cause smokers to seek alternatives to their regular habit — cigars, smokeless tobacco, grow-your-own, etc.
That’s the basic information. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to add my two cents…
NO WAY. As a smoker, I’m pretty ticked off that the state is trying to use ME to balance the books and pay for things that it has no business doing in the first place. Singling out smokers is just cowardly — we are perceived as very easy targets.
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As a non-smoker I agree with you David. This is just the tyranny of the majority legislating an activity of a minority so the majority can benefit. IT’S WRONG!!
Welcome To “Big Sky” Election Coverage!
Greetings all — this is Dave, from Montana. I know most of you think that we’ve got nothing but militia-men and Unabombers here, but believe me — plenty of good, honest people call Montana home. On the ballot for Tuesday:…