Here’s an easy to use reference showing the current federal tax on assorted commercial tobacco products, the new S-CHIP effects, and the overall percentage increase.  The chart helps illustrate the unbalanced taxation schedule for various tobacco products.  A quick study will show the discrepency between one form of tobacco and all the rest as being singularily picked for an exhorbitant and especially brutal tax.  The RYO tax increase shown is NOT AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE NOR A TYPO!

Exactly why the RYO tobacco industry and it’s consumers are expected to bear the brunt of the S-CHIP’s proposed tax increase has yet to be made clear.  Several RYO manufacturers have already announced their intentions to close effective March 31st,  2009.  How any remaining companies plan to bear such a dramatic and uneven tax is a mystery.  The secretive way in which the bill was passed and it’s effects ingnored by the media leaves many RYO users in the dark.  Many won’t realize the effects of the bill until April 1st when attempting to purchase tobacco.

SCHIP Tobacco Tax Rate Increases | RYO Revolution

Tobacco’s revenues rival some of the most powerful resources in our world’s economies.  Tobacco’s power and appeal both lie in the simple fact that it contains one the most addictive drugs known to man; nicotine.  Appealing to the addict for obvious reasons but even more so to the legislators. This gives the abusers of tobacco an unique power to be sure; legislation.   Addiction allows inequitable legislation to be passed, taxes to be levied in the most unscrupulous of manners otherwise unimaginable by today’s enlightened.  Taxing the poor and the weak; the minorities,  and doing it with the support and plaudits garnered through vilification.

Recently, PACT,  a most powerful tobacco control bill fell to the House for approval.  The House overwhelmingly passed the bill which now goes to Senate and eventually empower the government to gain yet more control over the sale of this most powerful of weeds.   While this bill certainly might have some good measure to it, the auspice that terrorists are using counterfeit cigarettes to fund their mischief is a bit much to swallow considering the availability of illicit drugs with exponential profitability.  The addition of the prohibition of mail order loose tobacco for (DIY/RYO cigarettes) though is the curious part of this bill.

In order for this to happen, , the Jenkins act of 1949 which allows for the state to state sale of tobaccos for personal use through the mail,  will need to be amended.  This manipulation of this decades old Jenkins Act  screams of yet another instance of gaining control for taxation and control purposes.  Taxation of the poorest of the poor, the DIY smokers.   All this is palatable and even admirable due to the vilification of tobacco by the very abusers who stand to profit.

It’s cool though because smokers stink and if they have to manipulate the tax system like this it’s best to keep it to people like that.   None of this is gonna affect most people and it might even reduce SHS.