Long Island Officials Seek $2 Tax on All Cigarettes

Nassau County and Suffolk County, Long Island, are both pushing for an additional $2 tax on cigarettes. In doing so, this would drive most cigarettes to nearly $7 a pack.

Lisa Daglian, the spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society had this to say on the issue:

"It's not just an incentive for adults, it's an incentive for teenagers to stop smoking, or to never start."

Smoking related deaths have dropped in New York City since 2002, this is another step to lower the amount of deaths associated with smoking, as well as second hand smoking as well, which is another big issue.

However, some people cannot get even through a single day without smoking. Smoking helps relieve stress for some people, despite the bad effects it may have on someone's body. Due to the chemical composition of cigarettes, many people are chemically addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes. Many say the tax imposed on the cigarettes will not deter their smoking in any way, and they will continue to smoke until they decide they would like to quit.

Going "cold turkey" on such an addiction could be mentally and emotionally exhausting, also causing anger and irritation within the household of the smoker.

New York City has raised $123 million in the year 2006 from cigarette sales taxes. It is estimated that the newly imposed tax could add $26 million to $30 million to the county's.

As many people know, there are still Indian reservations located on Long Island, New York. How will the Indian reservations deal with the newly imposed tax? Long Island and city officials have tried to enforce laws in which Indian reservations could not sell untaxed cigarettes to non-Indian customers.

In this matter, tribal leaders say that the taxation on their cigarettes are an infringement on their sovereignty.

Damien Toell, a Melville attorney had this to say:

"If the government is really concerned about people's health, they would go ahead and ban cigarettes. But instead they put you in a situation where you're forced to go out to the Indian reservations or the Internet and that harms the local retailers."

Any way you think about the smoking situation, it is always a controversial subject. So many people are chemically addicted to the nicotine substance in cigarettes. Banning cigarettes altogether would cause outcries against our freedom, although a ban would be good on our health altogether.