Gov. Thompson is learning. After two fatal attempts to increase Illinois` income tax, he has decided to sponsor instead a ”sin tax,” an 18-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes, over and above the already ridiculous taxes on that commodity. He has decided to tie in his administration`s fiscal gluttony with a popular issue, the ever-popular ”anti-smoking campaign.”
I would love to see smoking banned in government buildings-but this is not a ban, and will not affect the amount of smoking in Illinois one puff. A tax is a tax, no matter which poor sucker pays it.
Smoking is an addiction, and an extra 18 cents a pack will not discourage anyone from feeding that addiction at their usual rate. The two-pack-a-day smoker stung by Thompson`s ”popular” tax will pay $131.40 per year for the habit. So let`s not buy Thompson`s disguise. The tax will take $180 million from Illinois` economy-money that these smokers would otherwise have spent on other things.
If we really want to stop smoking, let`s tell our congressmen and senators to stop taxpayer funding of the tobacco industry through subsidies. Then let`s tell the governor to stop raising taxes and take a course in economics. We`ve seen through his smokescreen.
