SwimExpert
Gold Member
- Nov 26, 2013
- 16,247
- 1,679
- 280
- Banned
- #201
Let's compare this way. In 1974 I worked for minimum wage at $2.10 an hour.......I could by a CARTON working one hour
Today, you would have to work eight hours to earn that carton
You liberals keep complaining that the modern minimum wage has the weakest buying power ever in history. I guess you want us to raise minimum wage to $58/hr now.
You don't think that impacted the amount of smoking?
This is a red herring no matter how many times you pose the question. Get back on topic. Does taxation reduce smoking? The answer is "no." Smoking is an addiction behavior. The majority of smokers want to quit. But they're addicted. They want to quit due to the substantial damage to their health smoking causes, but they're addicted. You're trying to argue that a little extra on the price of a pack of cigarettes will reduce their smoking. You really think that an extra $30 a month will overcome an addiction when their life and limb being on the line is insufficient to do the same?
The price of pack of cigarettes is NOT because of taxes, it's because of MANUFACTURES AND RETAILERS pricing their product in line with what people are willing to pay. The state with the highest sin tax on cigarettes is New York at $4.25 a pack. Completely eliminate all the taxes and the price is still higher today after adjusting for inflation.