One Virginia House Democrat, Del. Patrick A. Hope (D-Arlington) is trying to overtax one of Virginia's traditional businesses. Though Democrats are outnumbered nearly 2:1 in the House of Delegates, Hope has put forth a bill (House Bill 160) to TRIPLE state taxes on cigarettes and QUINTUPLE (thats 5x the price) the tax on other tobacco products. Does this strike anyone else as insane?
Virginia was STARTED on tobacco. While we can all agree that cigarette smoking is harmful to a person's health, do those people not have rights as well? To try and wring EVEN MORE tax dollars out of what is already Virginia's signature crop cannot possibly work.
Incase you've been living under a rock, taxes are bad y'all. Taxes suppress free markets, take dollars out of the hands of local businesses and consumers alike, and they set precedents. What tax will be next after this one? If, instead of Virginia sticking its hands in the pockets of consumers everywhere, we simply cut a few frivolous budget increases, Virginia smokers (and there are many of them) would not have to shell out 3 or 5 times a tax that is already too high.
Tobacco is a thriving business in Virginia and adds jobs, revenue, and yes plenty of tax dollars to the state already. To try and smack down one of our bigger sources of jobs and money with this bill would be, well, stupid. I'm just 1 conservative, but I'm 1 against House Bill 160.
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