Ill Cigarette tax $3.98/pack

[aja8888]

Are you sure? I was in the Army at the same time and it was 19 cents a pack. Maybe the Air Force got a better price.[emoji3]
Gill

Yeah, I could be wrong on the price...that was a long time ago. Maybe it was 0.19/pack. In any event, it was cheap.

 

[Sconie]

Are you sure? I was in the Army at the same time and it was 19 cents a pack. Maybe the Air Force got a better price.[emoji3]
Gill

Sounds about right. I recall being able to buy a carton of Marlboros at the Ft. Ord (California) PX for $2.00----that was 1969.

 

[nafddur1]

Well, the last three letters of the second word were correct.

Exactly - `Gas, grass or ass, nobody rides for free.'

 

[Morricol61]

The average cost for a package of Marlboro cigarettes is now $12.98.

https://www.expatistan.com/price/cigarettes/chicago
The tax increased by $1 on July 1st... the article that stated the average price, was in June.

That means a cigarette now costs $.65 ea.

When I was a kid, a quarter in the cigarette machine gave you a pack... that had two or three pennies inside the cellophane wrapper. That meant each cigarette cost about $.01 ea. back in the 1940's.

Not that I smoke, but my spouse does and he pays $62 for a packet of 50 cigarettes here in Queensland, Australia. Don't know what percentage of that is tax but he would save thousands of dollars a year if he gave up.

 

[Maidensong]

When I was 12, my dad quit smoking when the price of a pack of cigarettes reached 50 cents. He just celebrated his 84th birthday last week.

Just sayin'...

 

[athena53]

DH quit in 1996 after smoking since he was in grade school. He just got disgusted at the cost. His brother, who's been living on minimal pension income and barely scratching by, continued to smoke. At one point he asked DH if we could help save him money by sending him cigarettes we bought in our state (fairly low tax compared to average) and send them to him in CA, where the taxes on cigarettes were pretty bad. He'd pay us back. We did and of course we never saw the money, but figured it was a gift. And yes, I know it was illegal to send them across state lines.

DBIL is over 80 and his health is failing- severe emphysema is only one of his problems. He hasn't asked for cigarettes lately.

 

[samclem]

Not that I smoke, but my spouse does and he pays $62 for a packet of 50 cigarettes here in Queensland, Australia. Don't know what percentage of that is tax but he would save thousands of dollars a year if he gave up.

At this tax rate I'm sure Australia has quite a booming black market in cigarettes (even with no land borders).
Cigarette taxes worldwide contribute to a huge smuggling business. It doesn't get much press attention, but in some countries it is a significant contributor to other problems (violence, youth smoking, and especially government corruption). By some estimates, 1/3 of exported cigarettes end up in the contraband market.

I'm >not< arguing against taxation of these products, but just saying it comes with a cost (just like outright prohibitions on other drugs).


And for a little fun, some might remember the cigarette truck chase scene from Beverly Hills Cop (IMO, Eddie Murphy at his brilliant best). Hard to believe--it was released 35 years ago. Cops carried revolvers and drove big sedans with a single "bubble-gum" machine on top.

(Warning--spicy language in first 10 seconds and last 10 seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/wag sedans witha tch?v=rL1d7QmGDo8

 

[Chuckanut]

I remember reading of a study that concluded that cigarette smokers saved US taxpayer money overall. It seemed that the higher end-of-life medical costs were more than offset by lower lifetime SS payments and death eliminating ongoing medical care costs for other medical problems the smoker may have.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

When I was 12, my dad quit smoking when the price of a pack of cigarettes reached 50 cents. He just celebrated his 84th birthday last week.

Just sayin'...

My Mom and Dad stopped in 1989 and Dad died last year at 91 years old and Mom died at 81 a few years of go; both of COPD. Just sayin'

 

[big-papa]

My Mom and Dad stopped in 1989 and Dad died last year at 91 years old and Mom died at 81 a few years of go; both of COPD. Just sayin'

My Dad stopped in his 60's and lived to 92. He did have COPD and congestive heart failure and a pacemaker.

My Mom, 15 years younger than my Dad, quit after my Dad did, but died at 82 of lung cancer.

 

[gerntz]

Does much smuggling cigs from low tax to high tax states still go on much? I used to hear about it when some places were around $0.25 a pack while others were $0.75-1.00, but not so much now. Many because there are fewer smokers? I see where the lowest prices by state are around $5.50/pk with the highest near $13.

 

[Arizona1]

I always hated getting stuck with a bunch of smokers in the Air Force. I bought some Phillip Morris stock and after that I always asked the new Airmen why they didn’t smoke?
Helped me and made lots of money.
A girl in the gas station store the other day had to go out to car and ask friend for more to pay for 5 plus dollar pack of generic cigarettes. I waited and would have covered the difference for her if it was anything else.
Nasty habit