Smoke Signals

I'm thinking about how Governor Paterson wants to raise the tax on each pack of cigarettes sold in New York state another $1.60, so I did a little research on the states and how much tax they tack on to the cost of the butts themselves.

The data I looked at may not be the most current, but the numbers are certainly ballpark.

In 2009 in all fifty states, cigarette taxes reaped $6.9 billion. That is no small chunk of change.

The message here is not that the government wants you to stop smoking. They want you to smoke more so they can make more money. In fact, they're just like the tobacco companies!

If everyone in the U.S. stopped smoking tomorrow, state governments would take quite a financial hit.

I bet little Ardi Rizal would throw a temper tantrum if he had to buy his cigarettes in the U.S. Count your blessings, little guy!