Cry Havoc...and let slip the dogs of war if this tax gets any traction (Moments of Clarity)

Federal taxes on "premium" or "large cigars" (by bastard governmental definition that's anything "not sold in a small 20 pack") will go from $.05 per stick to $10. Yes. You did not read that incorrectly. Yet another example of the government literally wresting control and nationalizing an industry by proxy. Here's an article discussing the topic in the St. Petersburg Times.

The president has vowed to veto the bill, not over the cigar provision but over objections to expanding federally financed health care for the non-indigent.

Great. Whatever it takes but this will get me involved with politics if they're not careful. Honestly, if this went through...I'd build a humidor in the Man Land Man Cave that would house enough cigars in a perfect climate controlled environment to last my entire family's lifetime...and then some. I'll buy the stuff on the Internet too and not pay any tax. Kennedy would not be very happy with this move by the dems...oh wait, his smokes were Cubans.

Here's some great fast facts as provided by the article. Remember, this does NOT include the STATE taxes lumped on top of these.

» Fast Facts

Taxing tobacco

To pay for children's health insurance, the federal government has proposed raising tobacco taxes.

Cigarettes

2006 sales: 400-billion

Current tax: 39 cents/pack

Proposed tax: $1/pack

Percent increase: about 150

Cigars

2006 sales: 5.3-billion

Current tax: 5 cents/cigar

Proposed tax: up to $10/cigar

Percent increase: up to 20,000 (I added emphasis to highlight the lunacy of our legislators)

In 2006, excise taxes from cigarettes brought the federal government $7.4-billion. Cigars brought in $225-million.