How To Quit Cigarettes In The United States

780 Words4 Pages
Smokers all over New York are frustrated by the rise in price for a pack of cigarettes. Smokers will now pay $2.75 per pack in taxes compared to a $1.50 that it was just two weeks before (2008, Fox News). New York has the highest taxes for cigarettes all over the nation. What is a smoker to do when cigarettes cost almost $10 a pack? Some might quit. With the recent tax increase over 140,000 smokers will quit smoking (2008, Newport Television). However, others will rely on buying bootleg cigarettes or black market cigarettes. Some believe that there is no problem with buying cigarettes illegally (cigarettes that are not taxed). What the government does not realize is that smokers who have had the habit for numerous amounts of years will not quit smoking. They will do anything to find them cheaper. This makes all convenient stores, cigarette…show more content…
When the tax prices were raised for cigarettes, the equilibrium price rose as well. However, when that occurs the quantity decrease. For the quantity to remain the same, the price need only rise slightly, however if it doubles over night, the quantity will decrease. Many may wonder where this tax money goes. The money from taxes on cigarettes goes to the state, and with this years tax increase the state will bring in $265 million tax dollars. Sellers such as private business owners are extremely disappointed in the tax increase. “More and more smokers in New York State are going to abandon our stores that have to charge the tax and shift their purchases to places that don’t charge the tax, most notably Native American Stores, the internet, and bootleggers.” (2008, Calvin). When Mayor Bloomberg started the rise of cigarette tax he did not want people to pay the price, they aimed for them to quit smoking. However, all the Mayor did was open the doors to bootleggers all over the country to come and sell cigarettes to New Yorkers, and make a
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