A tax that packs a hard punch

Raleigh News & Observer
In going after teenage smoking, the state will burden many adults

By TIM HUMPHREY

RALEIGH — As we all know, a move is afoot to raise North Carolina’s cigarette tax — a hike of 25 or 35 cents per pack seems most likely. Either figure represents a huge percentage increase over the current North Carolina tax rate of five cents per pack, now the nation’s lowest.

An increase of even 25 cents per pack would push our tax rate past those of South Carolina, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee, whose rates range from 7 to 20 cents per pack. It would tie us with Kentucky and Virginia. (All state taxes are in addition to a 39 cent per pack federal cigarette tax.)

I am certainly not offended by North Carolina having the lowest tax rate in the country on any product. Yet although I’m a smoker (whose habit began when I was a 20-year-old college student), I’m not opposed to some increase, perhaps five or 10 cents per pack, for the sake of raising revenue. However, I resent the reason often given for a draconian increase — "to keep teens from smoking."

The argument is that higher taxes will make it too expensive for teenagers to start smoking. Adult smokers are not accounted for in this argument, other than that higher taxes might encourage them to stop. I admit to being biased on this issue, but I find the teenager argument disingenuous.
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When exactly did it become our responsibility, as smokers, to help prevent teenagers from smoking? I don’t even have a teenager. I believe that parents of teens should be ones preventing their children from smoking.

If preventing teenage smoking is for the wider societal good, shouldn’t the effort be funded by the wider society? Of course, if I were a nonsmoker, I suppose I might also like the idea of having some group I was not a member of bear the burden of a huge tax increase.

Teens do many things that are not good for them. Over half of them (the 13- to 16-year-olds) are not allowed to see R-rated movies, yet many do. Using the teen argument, clearly the tax on R-rated movie tickets should rise by 500 percent or so. I am sure the movie-makers, theater owners and adult movie-goers (those with or without children) wouldn’t mind. It’s for the kids.

A lot of teens die on our highways, but the teen argument provides the same simple solution. Gas taxes should immediately rise dramatically, so the youngsters can’t afford gas and will drive less. Fewer road miles mean fewer road deaths.

Although such an increase would affect adult drivers (those with or without children), it would also help promote fuel conservation. In other words, it might help some drivers stop driving, much as a higher cigarette tax would ostensibly help some adult smokers stop. Do you feel my pain yet?

I am not convinced that higher cigarette taxes would cause large numbers of adult smokers to quit. I don’t plan to, at least not because of the price. When I quit, it will be for personal reasons, and I would thank the government for staying out of those.

However, higher cigarette taxes will certainly affect the personal economics of smokers, and will affect nonsmokers, too. From that, I would take a bit of vindictive pleasure.

If I must spend significantly more on my nicotine habit, it is a certainty that I would spend less at restaurants, convenience stores, clothing outlets, furniture warehouses, hobby shops and movie theaters. Mom might get a card instead of flowers on Mother’s Day. No more long-distance telephone calls, either — it would be strictly e-mail. And I know of at least one pizza outlet that will probably go out of business.

It is easy for the majority to pick on the minority, and we smokers, at about one-quarter of the population, are clearly an easy target. As a near middle-aged white male, I never really thought of myself as a minority before, but most of us are a minority in some category or another.

I encourage the nonsmokers and lawmakers to think again about laying the entire burden of preventing teenage smoking at the feet of smokers. After all, some group you belong to (and I don’t) may become the next easily taxed minority.

(Tim Humphrey lives and writes free lance from his home in Raleigh.)