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The government should not be in the business of regulating behavior through taxes.
It's really funny to me how the Democrats always claim to be on the side of the poor yet the taxes they levy hurt the poor the most. Guess which level of society smokes the most.
This will also have the effect of losing tax money for the state as people will now drive to NH and RI for their smokes.
Right now the state of Massachusetts is only going after the taxes from tire buyers who have the audacity to cross state lines (Bay State wants NH to collect its sales tax - EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA) but I expect that eventually border NH towns will be staked out to catch those tax-dodging criminals who go to NH to buy cigarettes and gas
Quote:
Originally Posted by TomDot
This will also have the effect of losing tax money for the state as people will now drive to NH and RI for their smokes.
Last edited by Valerie C; 03-23-2009 at 07:49 AM..
Right now the state of Massachusetts is only going after the taxes from tire buyers who have the audacity to cross state lines (Bay State wants NH to collect its sales tax - EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA) but I expect that eventually border NH towns will be staked out to catch those tax-dodging criminals who go to NH to buy cigarettes and gas
The whole concept of people having to claim purchases made out of state on their taxes so that they can then claim the sales tax really pisses me off.
We are a capitalistic country right? So we want competition among our stores, right? This brings down prices and benefits the consumer, right? If this is the case, then the State of Massachusetts needs to realize that they are in competition with bordering states. Competition for a lower tax rate.
I don't live on a border town, but if I did I certainly may cross over to buy goods and services to save on the taxes paid, if the amount of tax was an amount I considered grossly unfair.
I am nut sure I'd be willing to cross the border solely to save 5% on windows, as I'd rather pay the tax and keep my local Home Depot in business, because the tax that local Home Depot pays into my own town's tax base does benefit me, and I wouldn't want to give my business to someone else and lose the benefit, but for something like cigarettes that are so highly taxed, I just might do it, especially since they are so portable.
If someone is loading up their car in NH with a trunkful of cigarettes to sell in Massachusetts to avoid tax and profit, I'd say they should be arrested. If an individual comes in with 4 cartons of cigarettes for his or her own personal use then I don't believe this should be a crime.
If we purchase something outside the state and are expected to claim this on our taxes so that we can pay the tax on it, then why can't we claim taxes in excess of the 5% that Mass charges, for instance, if we are in NY and decide to purchase something and we end up paying 8.25% (that was the rate when I lived there before), then we should get a tax deduction for anything above the 5%.
Trying to get everyone to claim on items they purchased out of state would just be a nightmare. And if you can't get it from everyone, then targeting a certain geographical area (like MA/NH) border towns would be unfair, IMO.
Hmmmm, isn't this what our forefather's rebelled against and threw the tea into the harbor for??? Deep down in my heart I wish we could pull another one off again because government has gotten too big for it's britches but that's just me and my frustrations wishing.
Couldn't rep you again for this one, but LOL, you have made exactly the point I've made to several people I know when complaining about taxes.
I was wondering how much taxes were paid by individuals before the Boston Tea Party, and want to compare this with the taxes we pay today. I am curious to know if we more heavily taxed now then they were then.
Because I might be up for another tea party in the near future.
It just seems like we are taxed on so many different things. I don't mind 5.85% income tax, but what's with the gas tax, sales tax, excise tax, hotel tax, meals tax, what else is there, I am sure there are tons of other taxes? Taxes when you make it, taxes when you spend it, taxes when you save it, for the love of God, one cannot even calculate how much tax they've paid because it is to so many different places.
I am not against taxes, but I'd like to see how much taxes I am paying overall, not divided into 100 little transactions over the course of the month.
The government should not be in the business of regulating behavior through taxes.
It's really funny to me how the Democrats always claim to be on the side of the poor yet the taxes they levy hurt the poor the most. Guess which level of society smokes the most.
This will also have the effect of losing tax money for the state as people will now drive to NH and RI for their smokes.
I agree completely. Why should one individual or a group of individuals in government tell me how to run my life. I don't smoke, but it is ridiculous what they are doing to people who do smoke. They start at smoking, then it will be onto other things that the government deems "inappropriate".
I've actually seen a couple things on the fact that smokers actually cost taxpayers less because they don't live as long. So in the long haul their burden on healthcare is less than someone who lives to 80 or 90.
Well, NH is getting the best of this. They are making tons of money from people crossing the border. To me, the government trying to manipulate people's decisions by rules and regulations is like bribery.
Great point. I only want them to raise cigarettes to 20 bucks a pack if they could. Their doing a good deed.
What happens when they want to tax something you like into oblivion? Maybe you like fattening foods, alcohol, power-boating.... The state can deem pretty much anything as "unhealthy" and then tax it sky high, couldn't they....
What happens when they want to tax something you like into oblivion? Maybe you like fattening foods, alcohol, power-boating.... The state can deem pretty much anything as "unhealthy" and then tax it sky high, couldn't they....
Lol, let them tax away.........god knows we see their cars pouring over the border to NH spending their money here
The government should not be in the business of regulating behavior through taxes.
It's really funny to me how the Democrats always claim to be on the side of the poor yet the taxes they levy hurt the poor the most. Guess which level of society smokes the most.
This will also have the effect of losing tax money for the state as people will now drive to NH and RI for their smokes.
Exactly, TomDot. They tried it with alcohol, look how far that got them. Look at the chaos it caused and let the Mafia get another foorthold in this country.
As to the person who wishes to see the tax go up to $20, let's see how long it takes you to cry out when they start taxing our computer use more than they do! Or maybe alcohol? I've never heard of smoking causing one person to kill another or slam into another car.
I'm down to 6 packs left from Fla. Quit day is looming on the horizon quickly. What will Gov. Patrick increase if enough smokers quit because it's too expensive now?
BTW, any comments on the State House's plan to tax us for going over the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges??? Ludicous! That should kill the Cape.
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Ludicous! That should kill the Cape. 
