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New Cigar Tax

topic posted Wed, July 18, 2007 - 4:56 AM by  Tommaso 		Share/Save/Bookmark
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Currently before the United States Senate is a proposal to fund health insurance on the backs of tobacco products to the tune of $35 billion (that's Billion with a B). Most egregious is the proposed tax rate on cigars of 53.1%, including a breathtaking 20,400% increase in the cap. This would make handmade cigars - a true mom-and-pop industry, a product enjoyed by choice an average 3 times per week - the single largest excise taxed item in the entire Internal Revenue Code....by a long shot.

This piece of legislation is called SCHIP (State Childrens Health Insurance Plan). Tonight this bill is being marked up in the Senate Finance Committee and is expected to come to the Senate floor for a vote as early as end of week. We urge you to call both of your U.S. Senators today and express your opposition to funding "SCHIP legislation" with punitive cigar taxes. As a constituent your voice will be heard. Please see phone numbers below for your Senators.


Sincerely,

Keith Meier
Cigars International


List of United States Senators Office Phone Numbers

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
posted by:
Tommaso
offline Tommaso
Pennsylvania
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  • Ben
    Ben
    offline 19

    Re: New Cigar Tax

    Thu, July 26, 2007 - 3:52 PM
    Its sad, wit those whore Boxer and Feinsten in California, it actually will not matter what I think about it, I guarantee my brathe was just wasted on the phone with whatever intern I was leaving my message with.
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    • Tony
      Tony
      offline 0

      Re: New Cigar Tax

      Sat, July 28, 2007 - 10:17 AM
      it's not really necessary to insult your senators, is it? They're politicians. They waffle, deal, and bluster. Republicrat or Demmican, male or female, that's what they do. Most of America now wants the Government to be a nanny. This means pricing tobacco out of the realm of the normal guy. Or whatever else they don't like at the time, like guns and ammo.

      In NYC, the rich and famous can smoke pretty much where they want after 11pm in spite of the anitsmoking laws. That's when the enforcement division of the health department goes off duty, and that's when the r&f go out to party. The clubs that cater to these folks put out the ashtrays then, and if it happens they receive advance word of an "inspection", the AC goes on, the staff picks up the ashtrays, and usually, no one is caught in violation. Meanwhile, the avg guy who wants to have, say, a beer and a cigar at a corner bar can't do it. NYC does not have the luxury of outdoor patios for its bars, so the rest of us settle for smoking at home. For now. Until landlords are pressured by fire insurance companies to ban smoking in their dwellings, or co=op and condo boards decide that you smoking a cigar in your apartment is a health risk to other tenants if they happen to get a whiff of your cigarsmoke.
      Junk science.
      Stockpile your favorite cigars now, if you can!
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      • Ben
        Ben
        offline 19

        Re: New Cigar Tax

        Mon, August 6, 2007 - 8:17 AM
        Oh, I realize its not necessary to "insult" them. As a Poli Sci major, I know too well the reality of what goes on and how these politicians operate,a t least at the federal level. Ive accepted their tactics Tony, and I dont disagree with you, but that doesnt mean that I have to like it. More than anything, Im irritated by the notion that they think they are speaking for the entirety of California when they really are only speaking in the best interests of their career or the loudest group of lobbyists in their particular home. Trust me when I say that, although a great majority of Californians are self-declared health freaks, a great majority of them also does not support usurous tax hikes on any product, healthy or otherwise.

        yech, tactical issues such as this only open the gate a little wider that will allow them to truly run our lives.
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  • Jim
    Jim
    offline 10

    Re: New Cigar Tax

    Sun, August 26, 2007 - 5:20 PM
    Well, I got a response from my representative; He thinks he's doing good by helping put a stop to the poor habit of tobacco using individuals which is raising the costs of medical bills. Too bad he doesn't seem to realize that most CIGAR smokers are not involved with those costs. Go after addicted cigarette smokers but leave us simple cigar smokers alone.


    Yea, I doubt he's like that argument as well.
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    • Phil
      Phil
      offline 272

      Re: New Cigar Tax

      Mon, August 27, 2007 - 6:01 PM
      I usually smoke maybe one or two a week.

      Far from an addict.

      I wish they knew more about cigars
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      • Mast...
        Master of Muppets
        offline 113

        Re: New Cigar Tax

        Fri, September 7, 2007 - 3:18 PM
        International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) Federal Legislative Update


        September 7, 2007

        With Congress back from recess, we want to update you on what is currently happening, and provide several scenarios of what may develop in the coming next two months:

        As the two bills, House Resolution (HR) 3162 (the House version) and HR 976, the Senate version, of the proposed federal cigar tax to fund the State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP), have been approved by both chambers, both bills must be compromised into a single piece of legislation, for presentation for (a most likely) presidential veto.



        The two bills will be compromised into a single piece of legislation either in an official joint conference committee made up of members of both the Senate and House of Representatives, Democrats and Republicans (with Democrats compromising the majority of this committee as they hold the majority in Congress), or the compromise bill will be resolved outside of committee among Democratic leaders only. Either way, the final compromised legislation must be presented to both chambers for a straight up-or-down vote before being sent to the White House for consideration.



        However, it may be unlikely Congress will have a final bill until the Christmas Recess, scheduled for December 12. Of the likely short-term scenarios to play out, as SCHIP expires September 30, Congress may approve an extension of the current SCHIP statute to keep the program running. This will buy time for Congress to continue its deliberation and compromise of the final legislation.



        Your trade association returned from a series of meetings with our retained federal lobbyists, who outlined and detailed a plan of action on this bill. We have provided them the necessary background information about our membership and ideal talking points that they will implement as part of their overall lobbying strategy.



        We urge you to continue our grassroots effort of contacting your congressmen and senators. The majority of Congress will be in their home districts on Monday, as Congress will be closed for the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. For this brief recess, I urge you contact your representatives via telephone at their local, home offices. To look up your representatives' home office numbers, and for provided talking points, please follow this link to the Legislative Action Center on IPCPR's website. I will send a Call Acton Alert directly from the Legislative Action Center to you via email so you may forward the Alert to your customers in your email address books.



        To check how your representatives voted on this legislation click:



        Senate Vote



        House Vote



        As this fight is far from over, I urge you to press your customers to remain active. I know it becomes repetitive to continue urging you and your customers to continue contacting your representatives-this is all part of the game. Make your point, and make it again and again. Do not let Congress think we are simply a flash in the pan-they must realize all of us are in this and committed for the long-term. Let them know that when this current issue is complete, we will be closely eyeing them from here on.



        Thank you for your continued support and direct action.

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        • Mast...
          Master of Muppets
          offline 113

          Re: New Cigar Tax

          Sat, September 8, 2007 - 12:03 PM
          websites and hotlines set up to fight Federal Tax increases:

          www.stoptheFETincrease.com --- and 1-866-527-4494

          www.nocigtax.com --- 1-877-857-8074

          CALL OR EMAIL YOUR SENATOR TODAY!!!
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          • Mast...
            Master of Muppets
            offline 113

            Re: New Cigar Tax

            Tue, September 25, 2007 - 11:25 AM
            New news:
            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Compromise Bill Moves Forward for Vote
            Cigar Floor Stocks Tax Provision Removed


            September 25, 2007-
            A compromise bill for the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) funding was finalized late in the evening on Monday, September 24 with mixed news for the premium cigar and pipe industry. The Floor Stocks Tax provision on cigars that was originally in the legislation has been stricken. THERE IS NO FLOOR STOCKS TAX IN THE LEGISLATION!



            However, the tax rate was reduced by only a fraction, from 53.12% to 52.988%, and the tax cap of $3 per cigar remains.

            The compromised bill now goes to both the House of Representatives and the Senate for an up-or-down vote (members of Congress must vote either yes or no and no further amendments or changes may be added or made at this time.



            Once the bill is most likely approved by both chambers of Congress, the legislation goes to the White House where President Bush remains adamant that he will veto the legislation. Following a presidential veto, Congress will most likely approve an extension of the current SCHIP program that expires September 30, relying on existing government healthcare money to fund the extension-the yet-to-be proposed extension will not rely on any tax increases. This extension will give Congress more time to create a bill that the president may be willing to sign.



            Many have been involved in this fight, and we will continue working to protect members of our Association, notably Rocky Patel, Jeff Borysiewicz, a retailer from Corona Cigar, in Florida, David Berkebile, your association former president Lito Gomez of La Flor Dominicana, Marvin Samel of Drew Estate, Robert Levin of Ashton/Holt Distributors, Eric Newman of J.C. Newman, Alejandro Cuenca of Hoya de Nicaragua, and Jorge Padron. Due to the incredible efforts of these people the unfair treatment of the cigar industry was clearly brought to Congress' attention. Full, deserved credit goes to this group.



            Though the comprise bill is far from what we need to protect our industry we have laid the groundwork for what may come at a later date regarding SCHIP funding relying on increased cigar taxes. We now have the tools in place to work toward a reasonable compromise on a livable tax.



            IPCPR's federal lobbyists, Patton Boggs and Public Strategies-Washington, two premier lobby groups on Capitol Hill, and the Cigar Association of America have also been instrumental in this fight. Additionally, the manufacturing countries' governments are fully engaged through their embassies and continue lobbying their Washington, D.C. counterparts on the ramifications of this draconian tax increase, working toward our shared goals.



            Thank you to all of you, our members, and your customers for the countless phone calls, emails, and faxes sent to your Congressmen and Senators. Congress now understands that the premium cigar and pipe industry will not stand idly by as they may have their way with our livelihoods and our industry. When this bill is vetoed, we look forward to working closely with Congress on a new bill that provides necessary healthcare funding for children while not driving an entire industry into extinction.



            We will continue to keep you posted as this situation continues its legislative process.


            Chris McCalla
            Legislative Director
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            • Mast...
              Master of Muppets
              offline 113

              Re: New Cigar Tax

              Thu, September 27, 2007 - 11:11 AM
              United States: House Passes SCHIP Expansion Bill; Vote Not Veto-Proof

              September 26, 2007- In a 265-159 vote, which falls short of the two-thirds majority required to override a promised veto by President George Bush, the US House of Representatives on September 25th passed a bill to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by $35 billion over five years funded by increases in the Federal excise tax on cigarettes by 61 cents per pack (to $1 per pack) and on other tobacco products by comparable amounts. Forty-five Republicans voted for the bill, but many of their colleagues voted against the expansion, siding with President Bush, who criticized the bill for its cost, its reliance on a tobacco tax increase and its potential for replacing private insurance with a taxpayer-funded program. To overturn a veto, both chambers of Congress must produce two-thirds majorities. Although the Senate is expected to shortly pass the SCHIP expansion plan by a large margin, a Senate override bid would be meaningless if the House does not have enough votes for an override. The 159 House votes against the bill is believed to be enough of a cushion for President Bush to sustain his veto, since few representatives are likely to switch positions. Enacted in 1997, SCHIP provides coverage for 6.6 million uninsured children from families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but not high enough to pay for private coverage. The proposed expansion would increase coverage by 4 million children. Since SCHIP is set to expire on September 30th, congressional Democrats are planning for a temporary expansion of the current program (AP 9/26). (news provided by TMA)
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