General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: How much is the tax on one cigarette in NY city? [View all]sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)hide the scientific data that shows how harmful their product is.
Tax fast food 'vendors' like McDonalds and Burgher King at the same rate to discourage people from living on a diet that we know causes so many health problems beginning in childhood.
I was in Southampton when the war on the right Native Americans according to their treaty with the US Govt was ongoing. The Reservation there fought against these excessive, extortionist taxes for decades and won, until the politicians finally found a way to break yet another treaty.
Taxes are not supposed to extort from the people. And that is what these taxes are doing AND creating 'crime' where none should exist. And we know who is going to be the main targets of 'enforcing the excessive, extortionist' taxes on cigarettes. Eric Garner died because of them.
We've seen all this before with the Drug War. Of course they always CLAIM it's 'for your own good'.
If that were the case, the same extortionist taxes would be applied to sugar products, see the rise in diabetes eg, even among young people, and fast foods etc.
But the health of Americans is NOT the reason for these exorbitant taxes and most intelligent people know this.