TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Highlands Today

Proposal To Up Cigarette Tax Draws Cheers, Jeers

ADVERTISEMENT

By JIM KONKOLY

Highlands Today

Published: January 2, 2009

SEBRING - Man-on-the-street interviews Wednesday found both cheers and jeers for a state bill to raise the tax on cigarettes by $1 per pack.

Introduced by state Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, the special tax will be considered when the Florida Legislature meets in special session next week to address the state's $2.3 billion budget deficit.

Waldman said $1-per-pack in additional taxes on cigarettes would raise $700 million, half of which would go toward cutting the deficit, the other half for medical research on smoking related and other diseases.

"It's just not right," said John Witt of Sebring, who feels that he and other smokers are being unfairly singled out.

"They just don't want anybody to smoke in this world anymore, and I don't understand it," he added. "It should be the people's privilege in what they want to do; they shouldn't tax you to death."

Cuthbert Fortune, of Sebring, said the need to maintain services and infrastructure justifies the proposed cigarette tax hike.

"I do think it's a good idea . . . if it can enhance the infrastructure of the community," he said.

"It would be 100 percent better than cutting services, because we need services, and as more and more people move to the community, services are more essential.

"Even if I was a smoker," Fortune added, "I would give up a dollar or two to improve the infrastructure of any community. It's very important, because even when we are gone, we're still going to have young people growing and living in the community, so we want to leave a good community for them."

Ernie Beliveau of Lorida was among several people who said he doesn't oppose the idea because it could encourage some people to stop smoking.

"In my opinon - and I'm a non-smoker, and I have chronic bronchitis - I see so many people who get sick, and friends of mine that I've lost young (due to smoking), so I'm all for it," he said. He said he wouldn't argue against "anything to help deter people from smoking.

"I know it's their right," Beliveau added. "But if they want to pay $5 per pack, that's up to them."

Walter Harshman of Sebring applauded Waldman's bill.

"I think it's a fantastic idea, because I don't smoke and they won't be taxing me. I like that," he said.

"It may make more people quit smoking, which would be a better thing," he added. Harshman said he watched his late father struggle with severe circulatory problems from being a three-pack-a day smoker for many years.

"If people had a clue what smoking did to their circulatory system, I think many more of them would quit," he said.

For Patty Isaacson, the only issue regarding smoking is its health effects.

"Just put all the tax you want on cigarettes, and booze, as far as I care, because they're unnecessary and they cause too many problems for people's health," she said. "Neither of them is good for your body."

Robert Hobson, a Michigan snowbird spending the winter in Sebring, said raising any taxes would be a mistake in these hard economic times.

"Now is not the time," he said. "People have enough problems right now with the economy, especially in Florida. I know it's a bad habit, I smoke, but no, absolutely not, this is not the time."

George Frey of Sebring doesn't smoke but still has concerns about any tax hikes.

"If it actually does get sent to medical research, sure, that'd be OK," he said. "But the main problem I've always seen, it doesn't matter whether somebody is a Republican or a Democrat, up there (Tallahassee) they seem to make the money go where they want it to go instead of going where they claimed it was going.

"That's the only problem I have with raising taxes, verifying that it's going where it's supposed to go. I would say I'm not too trusting of most politicians."

Highlands Today reporter Jim Konkoly can be reached at 863-386-5855 or e-mail jkonkoly@highlandstoday.com

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT