Smokers, if you please!?

Perdendosi

These are called "sin" taxes. The idea is that if you do these naughty things (like drink, smoke or gamble) the government has the right to tax you extra hard -- (1) to get you to stop, (2) because what you're doing is just "fun" or morally ambiguous, and we may want to discourage this behavoir, and (3) if you do it, we can "balance the scale" by taking some of your money and doing something good with it. They have been around for a long time, and most states have a scheme like this. Sometimes the sin taxes are targeted to the "sin" of the underlying activity (i.e. cig tax for health care, alcohol tax for victims compensation fund for victims of drunk drivers, lottery tax to run 1800BETSOFF) but some times they're not (most "sin" taxes just go into the general fund of the government and are included in revenues that can be spent on whatever). I think it's just another sin tax, and to the extent that we want to stop the regular use of tobacco, that's great.

(P.S. Income tax doesn't fund schools -- property tax does. Why should property owners have to fund schools for children whose families rent? It's inequity all around -- at least here you know you're doing some good springing from an unhealthy activity.)

Muledancer

"For the children" is a phrase that seems to make everything OK.

Take my word for it, any tax monies will NOT go to pay for "education within the state"...It will go into politician's pockets.

music_lad34

Sure I agree with raising the tx to pay for education I don't agree with banning smoking everywhere.

stormy

for sure.as long as they are teaching children how bad it is to smoke with some of that money!

timo_10

I'm an ex-smoker but what the hell. I don't think taxes on tobacco should go for causes like that. They have to be related to the thing they're being levied for. For instance, taxes on cigs should only go toward things related to cigs like smoking cessation. In this case, if smoking decreases then education funding will also decrease.

Td2012

No I would not. That is what Income Tax is for. People smoking does not negatively impact a child's opportunity to learn.

Why not raise the taxes on Alchohol to fund State Highways ?

â˜¼grundle goatâ˜¼

i dont live in georgia, but yeah i support that. i smoke, and it's nice to know i puff my lungs out for education!

Sassy

Why doesn't Georgia TAX the Hell out of all those Illegal Aliens they are harboring and use it towards educating the children of Georgia! Maybe you would find Revenue, if you stopped giving Illegal Aliens every advantage over Legitimate American Citizens..Smokinglobby.com..

Smokers have no rights, are pushed out of restaurants, bars, hotel rooms and at work... How about that?

Nope education is the concern of all. What happens if people give up and schools are left without rescources. the tax would not be guarenteed and prone to changes in demand, is this a way to fund education

meathookcook

How about using the money they already get for education to pay for education? Why do they need more and if they do why don't they ask for it from everyone?

Fluffy

I don't have, want, or like kids, why should I have to pay for other people's kids?

BTW.. I agree with a previous answer, they always use the excuse "its for the children".. that excuse just got smoking banned here in Vegas.. guess what places it is now banned in.. 1) Restaraunts (understandable) 2) Gambling areas of grocery stores (also understandable) 3) BARS that serve food.. (WTF?!?).. they said it was for the children, what kind of moron is bringing children into a bar in the first place, and expecting to NOT smell cigarette smoke??.. do you know how many bars have been closing because of profit losses just because non-smokers might maybe want to go into that bar one day, wtf, seriously.. i don't get it.

thankyouforsmoking

wouldn't Georgians just order their tobacco products from out of state?

linlyons

i'm not a smoker.
but why should non-smokers not have to pay for their children's education?
smokers should pay for their health care.
and for education about the health effects of tobacco.
but not general education.

chickster360

of course!

No! " for the children" is an overused phrase to get money. I am sick of hearing it and I have children. Also, education affects everyone so why should smokers be taxed for this purpose. I am also a teacher and know that this tax would undoubtedly have very little effect on education but would be a nice hefty windfall " for the government".

bigsey93harrison37

It's more where the money goes than the actual money. We fund a lot of money to schools here in MA, but a lot goes to the unions who do nothing for teachers

Lisa

sure if i knew it was going on that

kiwi

Smokers are addicted. Whatever the tax, they will pay it. They will gripe, but they will pay.

sweetpea

No they always have an excuse for some reason to raise the taxes.lol

Bertie D

There is enough money going into the schools now if it were for hospitals now that would be different

Broadsword

I would agree to it if it not only helped children, but adults as well. It would be nice if some of us adults could finish college without wondering how to pay for it and if smokers (like me) were to help fit the bill for those of us who suffer the difficulties of being poor and want to get into college and succeed and end the problems of being poor. And if those kids graduate from school, then what?

MATTHEW B

i'm from ny and this has already been done a couple of years ago for schools and everything else and the tax took our budget from the red into the black within a year......plus smokers will still smoke even if it was $100 a pack.

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