Email from President Bush

[chibnkr]

Here is the response I got from President Bush's office in response to my email opposing the tax increase:

[SIZE=2]Thank you for writing about your concern regarding a new proposal to raise the federal tobacco tax.

President Bush strongly opposes the proposed increase in the federal excise tax on tobacco products. Federal revenues are already above their historical average relative to the size of the economy, and the use of tax increases to fund spending increases is undesirable and inadvisable. The Administration is also concerned about the impact the proposed tax increase would have on state budgets, which have become increasingly dependent on tobacco-related taxes. Estimates suggest that a 61 cent per pack increase in the retail price of cigarettes would reduce state cigarette tax receipts by as much as 5 percent, or $750 million per year. An increase in federal cigarette taxes is also among the most regressive revenue raising measures one could propose. The Administration opposes any tax increase that consumes a larger percentage of the earnings of low-income families than those of middle- and upper-income families.

Thank you again for taking the time to write.

[/SIZE]

[JCK]

what an excellent response.. thanks for sharing Mike.

[rusty pittis]

hmmmmm..........what to think of that is baffling to me...

[glking]

Hope he's getting ready to pull a veto out of his pocket!

[Sawyer]

Sounds promising.

[Bob]

Hope the veto gets on this one!! Big Pharma wants to push NO SMOKING because they want to sell nicotine like drugs and patches as fixes for smokers. It's Big drugs against Tobacco. The one that wins will be the one that lobbies the most and has the most money....Follow the MONEY!!

Some of the DRUGs can make a person quite scrapy and on edge and some people a bit psychotic. Welcome to todays America where the freedom to choose gets withered away. If it continues I see Expatriots leaving to countries where at least a simlitude of freedom resides.

[No1der]

I was actually just about to post the same White House Response email as I just recieved the exact same email as you did.

I'm not big on Bush and I'm sure I'm not alone in those sentiments but I hope that he Veto's this bill ASAP...

I wouldn't mind a tax so much if it was equally spread out over the entire population but going after smokers because the are smokers is wrong any way you look at it. That's true for any group of people who are taxed as a form of punishment for doing a completely legal activity.

VETO this POS bill before the ink even dries...

[Matthew]

Good information - thanks!

I never received responses from my Senators...

[smokepiper]

I got the same response.

Hopefully, this means the big veto pen is coming out.

It's funny, I received responses from the senator I didn't vote for (S. Brown) and didn't receive a response the guy I voted for. (George Voignovich) I can say that ol' George isn't getting my vote when his next term is up.

Raising taxes is never the answer.

D

[yayson]

I just got the same letter and was coming to post it

now if I would hear something from my "representatives"

[rgordin]

It would appear that the specific issue of the proposed increase of the cigar tax - its proportionate increase over the existing tax, its impact on domestic manufacturers and retailers, its impact on poorer countries that produce tobacco or manufacture cigars and its immediate application to existing inventory - is lost in the fray. I think that it too bad. These issues have merit independent of the tax on cigarettes or the provision of healthcare to children.

[Troop_lee]

Bush has said many times that he will veto this bill, he is opposed to a tax increase. And it has been said that this tax is a step towards "socializing medical care" and that is something his adminstration is against.

[thassanice]

I think the state budget argument is one of the better arguments that is being floated. States already rely tobacco taxes, so in essence, the federal government would be reducing the revenue that the states take in from tobacco sales in order to support the expansion of this program. It just really doesn't make sense for the purpose of a tax to generate revenue off the very activity it's also aiming to prevent.

[CIGARTOYZ]

That is great news but you cant count your chickens until they hatch. But if things go as planed that is great news for everyone. Cigartoyz.com will soon be cigars and cigartoyz. This may be the best decision Bush has ever made.

[coryj]

This brightened my day a little bit... say what you want about the man, but he seems to be 100% dead-on with his thinking on this issue. I especially liked the bit about tobacco taxes being "among the most regressive revenue raising measures one could propose"... so many politicians say "well, if we raise the taxes then more people will quit smoking"... no one ever seems to ask "then how are you going to continue collecting the money you need from said taxes?"