IMPORTANT!!!!!

Joined Apr 2006
1K Posts | 0+
Watching Eli smoke Robs cigars
Come on guys we really need to band together and speak out. We are getting closer and closer to seeing our beloved cigars disappear under the weight of an over zealous federal government. The big issue we face right now is the potential ridiculous over taxation of tobacco products to fund The Children’s Health Insurance Program. Please call your Senator in Washington and tell him that you do not support this proposal.

If you live in Alabama here are the two you need to call. Neither has manned up and taken a position on the proposal so we here in Alabama need to help them by reminding them that we vote and that we will not be subject to further over taxation.

If something like this becomes law it will be the end of cigar smoking in the USA as we know it today. Shop owners will never be able to stay in operation under the oppressive weight of this new ridiculous effort by our bone head law makers. This is serious guys. Pick up the phone or pen and be heard.

Steve


Senators:
Jeff Sessions 202-224-4124
Richard Shelby 202-224-5744
 
From L. Rothman of J&R Cigars:

"Everyone and I mean everyone that even smokes a cigar now and then has to be on alert for messages from all B&M smokeshops AND Internet vendors AND Manufacturers in the next few days regarding the proposed new tax on tobaacco products:

“The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a markup on Tuesday, July 17 on legislation dealing with the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The measure is expected to be reported out of committee. Funding would be almost totally via higher taxes on tobacco products. The cigarette tax will increase by $.61 to $1 per pack effective after December 31, 2007. Other tobacco products would be taxed as follows:

large cigars -- 53.13% of mfr's or importer's sales price but not more than $10.00 per cigar.”

In addition, there will be a floor stocks tax on tobacco products manufactured in the U.S. or imported into the U.S, which are removed before January 1, 2008 and held on that date for sale. The person holding the product on January 1, 2008 is liable for the tax to be paid on or before April 1, 2008.

YES ! You read that right ! $10.00 PER CIGAR, plus whatever your local state tax is. The people in Washington have absolutely no clue about the cigar business. Their sole focus is on cigarettes and we are about to get dragged along with it.

Not only will this put virtually every manufacturer, wholesaler, and retaailer out of business. It will also devastate the economy of Nicaragua, Honduras, The Dominican Republic and have a significant impact on Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Panama, Brasil, and Peru. (Whereupon, I’m sure the USA will be called upon to provide additional relief funding !). "
 
Good job Brother Steve,

I called my 2 senators, Dodd & Lieberman. Dodd thinks this is a great idea as this will help children 's healthcare. Lieberman has no position on this yet(per staffers). I asked what the billion dollar settlement with the tobacco companies was used for(if not for childrens healthcare). Told by Dodd's staff, more is needed! I'm doomed here in CT. Call your Senators!! Imagine paying $15-20.00 per stick for a cigar that is now $5.00? I'll never try an Opus at that rate. Lord Help US!
 
Emails sent to Senators Landrieu and Vitter. I will call tomorrow to see what their current position is on the tax increase. You've all got to contact your Senators about this. The fact that our Congress would even propose this bill is repugnant. I worry that it may pass. Attached is a link to websites for all Senators:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_i ... e&Sort=ASC

-Aubrey
 
Taxes! BAH!

Here's the list of senators in your state:

Alabama
Sen. Richard C. Shelby 202-224-5744
Sen. Jeff Sessions 202-224-4124

Alaska
Sen. Ted Stevens 202-224-3004
Sen. Lisa Murkowski 202-224-6665

Arizona
Sen. John McCain 202-224-2235
Sen. Jon L. Kyl 202-224-4521

Arkansas
Sen. Blanche L. Lincoln 202-224-4843
Sen. Mark Pryor 202-224-2353

California
Sen. Dianne Feinstein 202-224-3841
Sen. Barbara Boxer 202-224-3553

Colorado
Sen. Wayne Allard 202-224-5941
Sen. Ken Salazar 202-224-5852

Connecticut
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd 202-224-2823
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman 202-224-4041

Delaware
Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 202-224-5042
Sen. Thomas R. Carper 202-224-2441

Florida
Sen. Bill Nelson 202-224-5274
Sen. Mel Martinez 202-224-3041

Georgia
Sen. Saxby Chambliss 202-224-3521
Sen. Johnny Isakson 202-224-3643

Hawaii
Sen. Daniel K. Inouye 202-224-3934
Sen. Daniel K. Akaka 202-224-6361

Idaho
Sen. Larry E. Craig 202-224-2752
Sen. Mike Crapo 202-224-6142

Illinois
Sen. Richard J. Durbin 202-224-2152
Sen. Barack Obama 202-224-2854

Indiana
Sen. Richard G. Lugar 202-224-4814
Sen. Evan Bayh 202-224-5623

Iowa
Sen. Charles E. Grassley 202-224-3744
Sen. Tom Harkin 202-224-3254

Kansas
Sen. Sam Brownback 202-224-6521
Sen. Pat Roberts 202-224-4774

Kentucky
Sen. Mitch McConnell 202-224-2541
Sen. Jim Bunning 202-224-4343

Louisiana
Sen. Mary Landrieu 202-224-5824
Sen. David Vitter 202-224-4623

Maine
Sen. Olympia J. Snowe 202-224-5344
Sen. Susan M. Collins 202-224-2523

Maryland
Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski 202-224-4654
Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin 202-224-4524

Massachusetts
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy 202-224-4543
Sen. John F. Kerry 202-224-2742

Michigan
Sen. Carl Levin 202-224-6221
Sen. Debbie A. Stabenow 202-224-4822

Minnesota
Sen. Norm Coleman 202-224-5641
Sen. Amy Klobuchar 202-224-3244

Mississippi
Sen. Thad Cochran 202-224-5054
Sen. Trent Lott 202-224-6253

Missouri
Sen. Christopher S. "Kit" Bond 202-224-5721
Sen. Claire C. McCaskill 202-224-6154

Montana
Sen. Max Baucus 202-224-2651
Sen. Jon Tester 202-224-2644

Nebraska
Sen. Chuck Hagel 202-224-4224
Sen. Ben Nelson 202-224-6551

Nevada
Sen. Harry Reid 202-224-3542
Sen. John Ensign 202-224-6244

New Hampshire
Sen. Judd Gregg 202-224-3324
Sen. John E. Sununu 202-224-2841

New Jersey
Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg 202-224-3224
Sen. Robert Menendez 202-224-4744

New Mexico
Sen. Pete V. Domenici 202-224-6621
Sen. Jeff Bingaman 202-224-5521

New York
Sen. Charles E. Schumer 202-224-6542
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton 202-224-4451

North Carolina
Sen. Elizabeth Dole 202-224-6342
Sen. Richard Burr 202-224-3154

North Dakota
Sen. Kent Conrad 202-224-2043
Sen. Byron L. Dorgan 202-224-2551

Ohio
Sen. George V. Voinovich 202-224-3353
Sen. Sherrod Brown 202-224-2315

Oklahoma
Sen. James M. Inhofe 202-224-4721
Sen. Tom Coburn 202-224-5754

Oregon
Sen. Ron Wyden 202-224-5244
Sen. Gordon Smith 202-224-3753

Pennsylvania
Sen. Arlen Specter 202-224-4254
Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr. 202-224-6324

Rhode Island
Sen. Jack Reed 202-224-4642
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse 202-224-2921

South Carolina
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham 202-224-5972
Sen. Jim DeMint 202-224-6121

South Dakota
Sen. Tim Johnson 202-224-5842
Sen. John R. Thune 202-224-2321

Tennessee
Sen. Lamar Alexander 202-224-4944
Sen. Bob Corker 202-224-3344

Texas
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison 202-224-5922
Sen. John Cornyn 202-224-2934

Utah
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch 202-224-5251
Sen. Robert Bennett 202-224-5444

Vermont
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy 202-224-4242
Sen. Bernard Sanders 202-224-5141

Virginia
Sen. John W. Warner 202-224-2023
Sen. James Webb 202-224-4024

Washington
Sen. Patty Murray 202-224-2621
Sen. Maria Cantwell 202-224-3441

West Virginia
Sen. Robert C. Byrd 202-224-3954
Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV 202-224-6472

Wisconsin
Sen. Herbert H. Kohl 202-224-5653
Sen. Russ Feingold 202-224-5323

Wyoming
Sen. Craig Thomas 202-224-6441
Sen. Michael B. Enzi 202-224-3424
 
ha! i just posted that on another thread. good lookin out!!

great minds...
 
This one bites big time!

OK, I've done my part as a consumer and twice retailer, and a 3rd coming in my early retirement (10 yrs from now).

I can only pray that this proposed taxation misses it's mark. But you have to remember whom we are relying on, "Politicians". No, their not all corrupt, just the majority. I mean, solely riding on the back of tobacco. Like butter, you got to spread it out for it taste good on the pallet. We can all digest a slice of the pie, but I can eat the whole f___king thing!

Spread it out to include the alcohol, firearms, pharmaceutical companies. You will undoubtably get, "no, not us, we pay enough, we do enough", blah blah blah blah blah! I say "suck it up girls", most of you smoke cigars in these industries anyway.

Maybe this proposed taxation is just a nightmare, and for the last 24hours, I've been on the phone, been faxing and emailing MYSELF!

Kick me in the nuts and wake my a__ up, I'm scared now!

My future is in the hands of a bunch of trolls, dressed up like politicians :twisted: :oops:

Good luck to this wonderful Industry,

Vincent,
California: where we get tax f___ked everyday :cry:
 
I have e-mailed senator Enzi but I do not expect much
of any thing out of it. He is what I call a smoke nazi.
I do not think senator Thomas's replacement will be voting
yet but I will try to find a link to reach him.
 
as easy as an email is to send it is just as easy for the secretary at the representatives office to delete without opening it or even looking at the subject. A call seems to be more effective because they have little choice on picking up the phone. that is harder to ignore.

feel fee to email to your hearts content but a phone call may be the best option.
 
I could'nt agree w/you more Kuzi. Not that my calls made me feel warm n fuzzy, but I was able to speak my mind and get my point accross.

Lets keep our fingers crossed. Anyday now :roll:

Vincent
 
I haven't seen any activity on this thread in a while. I hope you've called or emailed (or both) your Senators on this issue. If not, you definitely should.

In Louisiana, Senator Vitter is opposed. Senator Landrieu is still undecided, but will likely vote for it. So if you're from LA, make sure you give Senator Landrieu's office a call if you're gonna call only one of them.
 
From what I read about yesterday, Bush will veto this. But, it appears veto-proof and 18 Republican Turncoat Senators have voted yes to socialized medicine. Even if it does not go through this year, they'll pass this again after the Presidential election. If Queen Hilary gets in, forget it. Give me Cigars, or give me Death! Could be time for a Boston Cigar Party!
 
if fred thompson gets in though....

should we expect another boom?
...hell maybe even legal ISOMs

THOMPSON 08!!
 
kuzi16 said:
if fred thompson gets in though....

should we expect another boom?
...hell maybe even legal ISOMs

THOMPSON 08!!

I think Fred Thompson could be the re bringer of the Regan economy. I would love to see someone with common sense in the white house.
 
I only heard back from one....

----- Original Message -----
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 4:31 PM
Subject: Responding to your message

Dear Mr. Langner :

Thank you for contacting me about an increase in the cigarette excise tax. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

As you may know, the State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) covers medical expenses for children whose families cannot afford it, nor qualify for Medicaid. This program is a proven success: while the number of uninsured adults has risen, the number of uninsured children has decreased significantly. Since the implementation of SCHIP, the number of uninsured children has dropped from 10.7 million in 1997, to 8.3 million in 2005. The program currently covers 6.1 million children each year, including almost 130,000 in New Jersey.

Unfortunately, the success of this program is at risk due to widespread funding shortfalls. As SCHIP comes up for reauthorization, a number of proposals have been put forward to pay for the continuation and expansion of this program. Among these is a proposal to raise the federal tobacco tax in order to offset the cost of SCHIP.

I feel strongly that SCHIP should cover as many people as possible, and I am willing to consider a number of different options to make this possible. However, be assured that I will keep your concerns about the tobacco tax in mind as this issue comes before the Senate.

Thank you again for writing.
 
boredatskewl said:
I only heard back from one....

----- Original Message -----
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 4:31 PM
Subject: Responding to your message

Dear Mr. Langner :

Thank you for contacting me about an increase in the cigarette excise tax. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

As you may know, the State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) covers medical expenses for children whose families cannot afford it, nor qualify for Medicaid. This program is a proven success: while the number of uninsured adults has risen, the number of uninsured children has decreased significantly. Since the implementation of SCHIP, the number of uninsured children has dropped from 10.7 million in 1997, to 8.3 million in 2005. The program currently covers 6.1 million children each year, including almost 130,000 in New Jersey.

Unfortunately, the success of this program is at risk due to widespread funding shortfalls. As SCHIP comes up for reauthorization, a number of proposals have been put forward to pay for the continuation and expansion of this program. Among these is a proposal to raise the federal tobacco tax in order to offset the cost of SCHIP.

I feel strongly that SCHIP should cover as many people as possible, and I am willing to consider a number of different options to make this possible. However, be assured that I will keep your concerns about the tobacco tax in mind as this issue comes before the Senate.

Thank you again for writing.

thats not "proven success"
"widespread funding shortfalls"
"federal tobacco tax in order to offset the cost of SCHIP."
that looks like pouring money into a failing, costly, communist program that hurts small buisnesses and the tobacco industry in its entirety. (doesnt big and small tobacco employ millions world wide? )
Im not sure about you all but i dont want to pay for my neighbors health care... and not with my cigars.
and i might add that the taxes wont even cover what they want them to in just a few years.

...but, at least he wrote back. i guess thats good.