Arkansas Legislature

Arkansas Smokers: Go Screw Yourselves!

This guy is so screwed.
This guy is so screwed.

Do you live in Arkansas? Do you smoke cigarettes, either on an occasional or habitual basis? Congratulations, because Gov. Mike Beebe and his legislative cronies hate your goddamn guts and plan to extract every penny they can from you!

The big tobacco tax hike passed the Arkansas House of Representatives today by a whisker, with 75 House worthies giving it the thumbs up. Here’s the vote count by rep. The bill is expected to sail through the Senate, so ha ha, you’re screwed, smokers. Not me though, because I actually don’t smoke, and anyway this is just the big break I’ve been looking for to get my bootleg cigarette business off the ground.

Please follow and like us:

19 thoughts on “Arkansas Smokers: Go Screw Yourselves!

  • I’m envisioning a quick fix to local economic conditions as every smoker in the state makes a run on convenience stores.

    I should have bought some Philip Morris stock short term.

    Reply
  • Menapotstirrer

    I’d hate to own a tobacco store in a border town or near a border. This will take away from the tax base of convenience stores and border towns. Imagine what will happen to sales in convenience stores on the Arkansas side of Texarkana. Brilliant idea guys! Fund a needed program with a tax of diminishing returns. All of you should work on Wall Street or in the banking business. You’re definitely qualified. BTW the Republicans that voted for this have less of a spine than any jellyfish I’ve seen.

    Reply
  • They’ll get it all back when they can start selling lottery tickets.

    Reply
  • Authentic Frontier Gibberish

    As much as I want a Trauma System and applaud this outcome, Mena makes a valid point. If smoking continues to decline, where the heck are we going to get the moola in the long run?

    I say we tax the living crap out of all you can eat Sunday lunch buffets and hunting licenses. That’ll get you some loot in this state.

    Reply
  • Menapotstirrer

    Of course Joe! I’m sure they’ll buy lotto tickets is Arkansas then go out of state to get their cigarettes. I would too! Why not stop twice instead of once? Everybody has too much time on their hands these days anyway.

    Reply
  • Hey, just remember that there will be another $1 tacked on at the federal level, thanks to the SCHIP bill.

    If the point in taxing smokers is to get them to quit, then I believe the state and the feds will be successful.

    My question is who are Democrats going to tax when there are no more smokers?

    Reply
  • David,

    Just curious. Healthy, buff guy like yourself — you smoke?

    Reply
  • Fourche River Rex

    He smokes left handed, Max. You know, Jazz cigarettes. Marlboro Greens, wink, wink. He doesn’t have to worry about taxes on his smokes.

    Reply
  • David Kinkade

    Don’t you listen to Rex, Max. I owe my robust physique to regular infusions of nicotine, Johnnie Walker Red, and steak and eggs for breakfast, along with two vigorous sessions with the medicine ball each week.
    D.

    Reply
  • Fourche River Rex

    That’s the tried and true formula that my grandma used and she lived to ripe old age of 52. Of course she drank Old Crow. So using JW Red may give you an extra couple of years that she didn’t get. I’ve always said, the better the whisky, the safer the liver. Note, I said whisky, not whiskey…just to honor the worthless, shiftless scots bastards that contributed their rotten DNA to your character. I hope it works well for you, Kinkade, you wretched Scottish whelp.

    Reply
  • Menapotstirrer

    Margaret Thatcher summed it up when she said “The problem with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other peoples money.” KRJ is right. We know who’ll be left holding the butt on this one. The spineless RINO’s who voted for this may not be able to figure out who that will be so for their benefit the hint will be that it won’t be smokers. I’m disgusted by socialist RINO’s. Didn’t we get enough of that in the last Congress and Presidential campaign.

    Reply
  • Buster Crebbs

    Wrong time to be a big gubmint socialist Republican, that much is for damn sure. Liberals have no respect for you and conservatives hate your effing guts.

    Reply
  • Just FYI, there are stipulations for boarder towns such as Texarkana and West Memphis. If you want all of the details they’re in the bill. I read it once, but that doesn’t mean I paid a whole lot of attention to it.

    Reply
  • carol

    BORDER towns do have an exemption, but that just moves the border. Now the towns and counties NEXT to that border will be the ones most hurt.

    Reply
  • Br549

    Call me crazy, but wouldnt it be a GOOD problem to have if there are no more smokers?

    Personally, I think we need to go after fatties. There are more fatties than smokers, although there is a lot of overlap.

    Tax on french fries, and vouchers for celery? Any takers?

    Reply
  • David Kinkade

    Geez, Br549, when did you turn in to Doc Hawkins? I’d say the short answer to that is “No.” Even if smoking results in health problems for some or even many of its enthusiasts, the fact is that it is a perfectly legal product, enjoyed by adults (and clever teenagers) who derive pleasure and satisfaction from the use thereof.

    I don’t smoke, but given a choice between spending an evening in the company of smokers, enjoying drinks and good cheer, and hanging around a bunch of “public health advocates” sipping mineral water and wringing their hands about the potentially adverse effects of legally available products, I’d have the good sense to go with the smokers.

    Your girlish and effete liberalism aside, wouldn’t you? Oh, I know damn well you would.
    D.

    Reply
  • Border Town

    For all you people sooo concerned about the cigarette sellers in Texarkana, Arkansas – Just know that the Texas cigarette tax will still be higher than Arkansas even if/when the $.56 tax passes.

    Reply
  • Br549

    Doc Hawkins?? Damn, D.

    Now where did I put my Skoal….oh, wait, there it is. Right between my tofu and alfalfa sprout with cucumber sandwich on rye and bottle of Pellegrino…

    Whew.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Joe Jacobs Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Arkansas Project