One of America's most recognized and respected figures once said, "In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes." It would seem that today this adage holds firmer than when Benjamin Franklin proclaimed it in 1789.
In 2003 not much has changed except that now the government that is pushing unfair and unrealistic tax policy is not only our own, but also selectively burdening a specific component of the population.
With the approval and support of Gov. Bill Richardson, New Mexican smokers have begun paying 91 cents in tax for each pack of cigarettes, a 70 cent increase over the previous threshold of 21 cents. Try tripling the tax on liquor, an equally sinful product that seems to cause just a few problems in the nation and in New Mexico, and see what happens. That levy would certainly initiate criticism by everyone from business owners and elitists to the homeless and working class. But hey, cigarettes have been proven to kill people so it is OK to massively tax them because a lot of people need to quit smoking and this just might be what it takes to get them to go cold turkey.
Taxation and addiction
This new tax is unfair to smokers because it is singularly aimed at them by public officials. It also shows how thoughtless and ungrounded government can be when taking action on issues that directly affect people because the consumers who buy cigarettes the most are the people who are addicted to them and they will either pay any price no matter what or they will simply go somewhere else for their smokes.
And that is government in its purest form - ignore the solution that is best for society and embrace the action that most represents political compromise and special interest victory.
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Political mode of thought
The cigarette tax represents the style of conservative thinking that has become so commonplace that it is the only mode government can operate under. If there is a lack of resources, the conventional wisdom is to draw resources from some other place or to use an existing technique (tax increases for example) to create the needed resources. This cookie-cutter style of thinking is unchecked because to try something new like enacting progressive reforms or to completely overhaul a system requires actually addressing the problem and formulating a realistic solution.
This is the real problem and the inane cigarette tax is nothing more than an indicator of the core issue.
If state legislators want to create funding that will benefit society, it should not be unfairly levied against select consumers, nor should it be provided by the poor few to benefit the masses.
Maybe next time the government wants to create more revenue by taxing a specific consumer base it can quadruple the tax on fast food restaurants and then those who are dying from weight problems, diabetes and heart disease will start eating better. At least the dollars they will spend on food aren't going to leave the state via the Internet or highway.
