Cigarette tax hurts economy

Breeze Perspectives

Virginia’s cigarette tax is now 20 cents per pack and, after July 1, 2005, it will rise to 30 cents per pack.Less than four months ago, a cigarette smoker in Virginia paid a tax of just 2.5 cents per pack — the lowest rate in the United States. Virginia is a state whose heritage and traditions deeply are rooted in the tobacco trade, and it previously had refused to follow the trend amongst states of raising cigarette taxes. However, this mindset changed in the face of a severe budget crisis.

But is raising cigarette taxes the right way to solve a budget crisis?

As unhealthy as it may be, smoking is an individual choice. In 2000, 400,000 Americans died of obesity, second behind the 435,000 that died from tobacco use, according to CNN. Both obesity and tobacco use are self-inflicted harmful practices. Why isn’t there legislation to raise taxes on every Big Mac or Whopper in America?

Smoking is an addiction. To take money from those people whom our government allows to become addicted seems more than unfair. If smoking is such a bad habit, why stop at raising taxes on it? Why not make it illegal altogether? The answer is simple — an illegal product cannot be taxed. Legislators believe that raising taxes will deter people from smoking. This may be true to some extent, but once people are strongly addicted to something, they don’t quit because the price to feed their addiction goes up. Smokers will stop buying the higher-priced American-made cigarettes and start buying cheaper, foreign-made ones. Likewise, cigarette manufacturers will stop purchasing higher priced American-made tobacco and buy more from other countries. Tobacco growers — like those in Southwest Virginia — who grow high-quality tobacco will feel the hurtful impact of the tax increase.

It now is a well-known fact that smoking increases the likelihood of cancer. But this discovery has not ended the habit which has existed for centuries. Similarly, areas steeped in the tradition of tobacco growing have not given up the crop, which has been so influential in their economic growth. What will be done to protect the tobacco industry that is vital to so many of our nation’s farmers — Virginians especially?

There is no definite answer. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., proposed a bill almost two years ago that essentially would buyout the tobacco industry at the expense of U.S. cigarette manufacturers. However, this bill has not yet gained enough support to pass, and President Bush has vowed to veto it if it does. If a buyout is not the answer, then the federal government must find some alternate means of leveling the playing field for tobacco growers before the industry is outsourced altogether. Cigarette smoking may be a dying trend, but it isn’t fair to sacrifice the economic well-being of those who legally grow or smoke it in an effort to solve state budget woes.

Patrick Callahan is an undeclared freshman.