I think this is going to do more harm than good.
NY’s cigarette taxes are already the highest in the nation by a wide margin.
It’s just a way for them to say that cigarettes are bad for you – unless you pay the government to be able to do it, then it’s safe.
We’ve already seen how these taxes lead to disastrous and deadly consequences.
Just aske the family of Eric Garner.
He was selling loose cigarettes to folks who just wanted a smoke break, but his real crime was not collecting taxes.
The NYPD sent out their “Quality of Life” enforcers whose actions led directly to Mr. Garner dying.
The irony is the Quality of Life enforcers budget is funded directly by these so-called sin taxes.
This doesn’t help anyone, it’s merely a cash grab on the flimsiest of pretexts, it’s a regressive tax on the poor, and if they don’t like it, they’ll come out and kill you over it.