Effective Tuesday, June 3, New York State and New York City will have the highest state and city cigarette taxes in the nation. New York State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines and New York City Health Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden will make a major public health announcement on the impact of the tax hike at a press conference on Tuesday morning.
Currently, New York State has the highest tax on cigarettes in the country, but the latest increase of $1.25 means smokers will be paying a total of $2.75 a pack just in taxes! In New York City, which has its own cigarette tax, the cost of a pack could be more than $10.
“This measure is a major step in improving the health of New Yorkers,” said Governor Paterson. “I am delighted that we were able to include the excise tax in this year’s budget.”
“The cigarette tax increase is critical in saving lives and helping us reach our goal of 1 million fewer smokers by 2010,” said Commissioner Daines. “We expect the $1.25 cigarette tax increase will prevent more than 243,000 New York kids alive today from ever starting smoking.”
“The increase of $1.25 per pack of cigarettes in New York will result in 140,000 New York smokers quitting for good,” said Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee. “This will result in preventing more than 37,000 smoking-caused deaths in New York.”
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has declared today “New York City Quits Day.”
(Eli Gefen – YWN Queens Ops. Desk)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
19 Responses
Most sources say that it is a violation of halacha to take up the habbit of smoking. Sources are split, however, on whether one who already is adicted is required to stop smoking. Therefore, I’m 100% in favor of raising taxes on cigarettes in the hope that for those not dissuaded from smoking because of the advice of our sages, perhaps they will be dissuaded by the high cost.
This is great! I hope it discourages kids to smoke!
The fools of the New York City Council are in dream land. The latest statistics are that the taxes have had a negative revenue effect on the City. Because the actual cigarette and cigar sales are down therefore the city is losing revenue. The disastrous effect has been the increase in illegal smuggling of cigarettes particular funded by terrorist groups.
This is a positive step, although people will just go to New Jersey, or directly to the Indians who pay no tax. anything to stop smoking is a positive step. I recommend that our roshei yeshivas, rabbonim and parents give a psak halochoh that no girl date any guy who smokes. That would really be a great deterrent.
I think this is stupid… If the government was
doing this to get more money then it would suck but
understandable…This though that they government is
interfering with people and their lifestyle is
exactly what this country is NOT about..
It’s unfair to target smokers who may have started smoking voluntarily, but are now nicotine dependent, no different than other medical dependencies. In short, the vast majority surely wish they could quit but just don’t have the will power. Burdening these often low income individuals will have little effect other than making their lives and those dependent on them exceedingly difficult.
-A non-smoker
It os great! I’d raise it even higher! Why not? It’s better than taxing those who are staying away for their medical care.
great! we have a goverment that actualy worries about us and is going to HELP us lead our lives the way THEY want us to by HELPing us quit smoking! because we poor citizens dont know how to lead our lives by our selves. bravo! this is what i call democracy!
by the way, more taxes=people seeking cheaper ways to buy i.e. buying in NJ, duty free, indians = less income for the city = weaker economy = less jobs = more unemployed = more smokers!
To all those who think taxes where a great idea:
Wait a few weeks when gas is $6.00 a gallon and the state tells you to take a bus or train to work, will see how happy you will be then. Think before you type!
The main idea i think is to stop kids from starting because of the high price not as much to get log time smokers to quit
Bloomy really thinks people will stop smoking?! He isnt counting on the increased revenue from the people who quit smoking, is he??
i hope yeshiva bochrim cant afford it and theyll stop smoking
Anyone who thinks that higher prices and larger taxation will stop people from smoking are lucky as they don’t have an addiction. An addict will do whatever it takes to continue to feed their habit. Has the drug war prevented drug addicts? this will simply bring a new element of crime into the city by means of smuggling and stealing cigarettes. That will be the result, no question. Why not levy a tax on fast food which causes heart disease, diabetes, and eventually death. Where does this stop. Should we tax anyone over 250 pounds for the burden their health issues will cause to the hospital systems? What about anyone who drinks regular soda, instead of diet? Tax them too? If we are to tax one unhealthy lifestyle, then we should tax them all!! There are alot more fast food joints than stores that sell smokes. Imagine the revenue that would be generated if we taxed a double cheeseburger $2.50 each!! Face it, this is not about keeping people healthy or any other nonsense they feed us. It is about one thing only…..MONEY!
sorry, but i think your headline has to change.
BRITAIN is more expensive, and has been for the last three years. a pack costs £5.60 which equates to approx $11.20!!! By the way, this has not changed anyones smoking habits!!
eveyone knows that this will not be a deterrent to people who want to start to smoke. you could always bum one off a friend. once he becomes addicted so he will get from duty free when friends of his come back from isral or he will get it in lakewood where it is cheaper without taxes no shortage of people coming back from lakewood to new york
#6: Your position reflects that of poskim who have not yet made smoking assur to those who are already addicted. As there are now effective treatments to help people stop smoking, I think that you and the poskim need to rethink this. My wife’s sister and her husband both successfully quit smoking, rather quickly, through hypnosis. Then there is the patch alternative as well as other devices that deliver nicotine, to satisfy the addiction, but do not deliver cancer-producing substances to the body. I hope that governments find that they don’t make much money from tobacco taxes, but I think we’re far off from that.
To #14:
I guess this means that future father-in-laws will now have to pay for the yungerman’s cigarettes too.
True the headline is not supposed to be “the world” but “the nation”.