April 1st...A big payday for the government?

[skullsoup432]

Even vaping, I still smoke a pack of analogs a day, as does my girlfriend. As such, I still buy tobacco and tubes. Here in southwest Michigan we have Admiral Discount tobacco that sells, of course, all types of tobacco products. I have been in two different stores in two different cities and they are out or low on the loose bags for roll your own. Both clerks told me that when their shipments came in, there was no loose bags at all, any brand. According to them there won't be any until April 1st. I was also informed that the stores were to be remodeled so that all bags of loose were behind the counter.
I was in my local grocery store tonight, which is a chain here in MI, and they were out of 1 pound bags. I asked the manager and he said they were not getting more till they "got rid of their existing stock".

Any else notice this? If possible could you maybe check it out and leave a post? Check and see if the loose tobbaco supplies are getting low.

No, I am not a conspiracy nut, but WTF?????? Are the powers that be planning on some sort of taxation coup? Stop the supply, prevent hoarding, then, badda bing- big sales on or after April 1st!? I am nuts?

Ah, hell, maybe I should just my meds and go to bed. Nurse Ratchet said lights out any ways.

 

[Walrus]

I think it's a big payday for more than the government. Locally, several service stations have already started charging higher prices. One chain (Circle K, by the way) has almost doubled their prices. When I mentioned to them that the tax increase was only 69 cents per pack, they argued that I was wrong, and that it was a few dollars per pack. They had no answer for why they were charging it already when the tax increase doesn't happen for a couple of weeks. It's a good time to be a vaper.

 

[skullsoup432]

Unbelievable. Price gouging. If it were gasoline, people would ..... and it would be on the news. "Smokers .....ing about price gouging? F'em, the scumbags. They deserve it."

Vapers will undoubtedly have the same treatment sooner or later. Sooner, not later, the way it's going.

 

[Jaaxx]

Yep, they are already charging (early) in stores here too. I'm sure it's purely an accounting decision (I think maybe LIFO/FIFO kinda stuff, but my booklearn'in ain't so good ya'll.)

Probably some profiteering going on, but remember it's costing them as well. Not to say that some won't use this as an excuse to squeeze a few more % out of everyone, but let's not forget who got the ball rolling.

 

[Deficit]

Yep, the list of counties banning e-liquid is growing almost daily, and in the USA the FDA's already sticking their nose into vaping. It's already been stated many times who we all think is behind it - big tobacco doesn't want to lose the sales and the government will be losing all their precious tobacco tax money as more and more people switch to vaping. I don't think there will be an outright BAN on e-cigs in the USA, but I think they will try to amend the tax for "all products containing nicotine" rather than just tobacco. And they may try to prevent imports because then we wouldn't be able to be making purchases outside the USA which wouldn't be subjected to said tax.

I hope nothing ever comes of the FDA's sudden interest, but I think the worst that will ever happen is a ban on imports of nicotine products and an amendment to the tobacco tax to include all products which contain nicotine. Of course the regulations will happen too, but that's only natural and we all know that's coming, though certain regulations might not be a bad thing. Just my theory, though we can only hope for the best.

 

[DisMan]

These kinds of taxes shows the lack of planning the US government has.

Goals
1. Make 25 million people quit smoking.
2. Provide healthcare for 4 million children.

Government Brilliant Idea
Let's tax 25 million people to provide healthcare for 4 million kids. This will lead to solving both problems!

Logical Problem
When you reduce the 25 million smokers to 13 million, will you be able to provide healthcare for 4 million children? If so, will it be the same level of healthcare or just some type of "phantom" healthcare like our phantom Food and Drug Agency? You know, a program in place just to have the ability to say "We have a program in place"?

I don't think it's a conspiracy...I think it's just stupid logic. Sadly, all these people actually have degrees...and most of their degrees are from insanely priced and extremely prestigious educational institutions.

 

[Kat]

I haven't bought any smokes for myself since our e-cigs arrived, but my husband is still puffing away on his Marlboro Lights (he hasn't really gotten into vaping full time yet -- in fact, he's barely part time -- though I figure every little bit helps. But I digress... )

Anyhow, the prices at Discount Cigarettes went up when they got their shipments in last week, at least as far as Marlboro ($50/carton now) and Virginia Slims (to $57! I still have an unopened carton from before in the fridge ICE, which is just as well as I refuse to pay that much. (But I probably would, in an emergency. <sigh>))

I know one of the women that works there pretty well, and asked why they were raising their prices early and she said it's not us, it's them. She also said that the owner had called around to see if the tobacco companies could do that, and apparently they can. I do realize that she could be blowing smoke up my nether regions, but knowing both her and the owner, I doubt it. I also have no doubt that the Phil. Morris and the like didn't hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity to make themselves some extra revenue, even if only for a few weeks.

 

[castman]

These kinds of taxes shows the lack of planning the US government has.

Goals
1. Make 25 million people quit smoking.
2. Provide healthcare for 4 million children.

Government Brilliant Idea
Let's tax 25 million people to provide healthcare for 4 million kids. This will lead to solving both problems!

Logical Problem
When you reduce the 25 million smokers to 13 million, will you be able to provide healthcare for 4 million children? If so, will it be the same level of healthcare or just some type of "phantom" healthcare like our phantom Food and Drug Agency? You know, a program in place just to have the ability to say "We have a program in place"?

I don't think it's a conspiracy...I think it's just stupid logic. Sadly, all these people actually have degrees...and most of their degrees are from insanely priced and extremely prestigious educational institutions.

One just has to love the corporate way of thinking. Does this constitute taxaion without representaion...LOL

 

[angel.white]

These kinds of taxes shows the lack of planning the US government has.

Goals
1. Make 25 million people quit smoking.
2. Provide healthcare for 4 million children.

Government Brilliant Idea
Let's tax 25 million people to provide healthcare for 4 million kids. This will lead to solving both problems!

Logical Problem
When you reduce the 25 million smokers to 13 million, will you be able to provide healthcare for 4 million children? If so, will it be the same level of healthcare or just some type of "phantom" healthcare like our phantom Food and Drug Agency? You know, a program in place just to have the ability to say "We have a program in place"?

I don't think it's a conspiracy...I think it's just stupid logic. Sadly, all these people actually have degrees...and most of their degrees are from insanely priced and extremely prestigious educational institutions.

Another thing they didn't think through: Smokers are addicts. When they can't afford their cigarettes, crime and neglect will become prevalent. Mothers buying Marlboro instead of milk for their kids.

I just don't see how increasing desperation solves anything. And they're about to crack down on e-cigs. It's just cutting off options, fewer ways out, fewer alternatives, a deeper pit to sink into.

 

[MisterPuck]

I was walking past the store I used to buy analogs at this morning and i thought of this post, so I dropped in and grabbed a drink and checked out his tobacco, he had 7 or 8 bags of ground tobacco still in his little glass box right next to his crack pipes. So business as usual on the east side.

 

[bizzyb0t]

I was walking past the store I used to buy analogs at this morning and i thought of this post, so I dropped in and grabbed a drink and checked out his tobacco, he had 7 or 8 bags of ground tobacco still in his little glass box right next to his crack pipes. So business as usual on the east side.

Do they sell those tiny little roses in the glasstubes over yonder? I always laugh when I go into a liquor store and see those... and behind the counter they sell "kits" that contain contain those tiny roses in glass, steel wool or copper Chore Boy^® and, small sticks (to "push").

 

[bri1270]

I heard that the tobacco companies had increased their pricing last week. As I was walking into a tobacco store to buy a lottery ticket they had a big sign on the door stating that they had all increased their prices by $7 per carton and that was in addition to the $0.61 tax per pack that the feds were laying down on April 1st. That's almost a $14 increase per carton in less than a month...

With all the talk of FDA bans on e-cigs, and the huge tax and price increases on analogs...I'm going to be doing some serious stock piling of juice and spare parts.

"...Give me liberty or give me death!"

 

[CssReb]

Fact:
The military buys over 30 million cartons of cigarettes per year for re-sale in the exchange and commissary stores. The profits fund the Morale, Welfare and Recreational programs.

The Scam On MWR:
Some cigarette companies failed their "duty to inform" the military that MSA fees and assessments do NOT apply to OCONUS (overseas) transactions.

Result:
Over $1 billion in non-required MSA revenue has been collected by these companies from cigarette sales on US Military bases, all of it out of the pockets of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines.

Where did the $1 Billion go?
Not one dime went back to DoD, the Armed Services or the Morale Welfare & Recreation Fund (MWR).

The Victims:
All of our servicemen and women and their families - the recipients of MWR funded programs. Our servicemen and women deployed overseas today - paying more than necessary to light up a smoke.

From now until 2016 - there's another billion to scam.


Learn More At Reason #3 at trykick.com.

I deleted the email at 1st and then thought, eh, let me read this thing.

 

[NewcastleB]

...they had all increased their prices by $7 per carton and that was in addition to the $0.61 tax per pack that the feds were laying down on April 1st. That's almost a $14 increase per carton in less than a month...

I noticed this phenomenon a while back with past tax increases. The tax would go up by $0.10 but the price of a pack of cigs would go up $0.25. The tobacco companies know that most people won't notice. They'll just blame 100% of the price increase on the governmental. And the few people who do notice, we'll they'll keep buying the product and eventually just get over it.

Another thing I noticed, and I wonder if I'm the only one. But for years it seemed that cigs would go on sale right when kids were getting out of school for the summer. So you have a bunch of kids running around with little supervision and cheep cigaretttes. Then cigs would go back on sale when the kids returned to school. Just when the kids could show off their new found hobby to all their friends.

 

[smokingclam]

I heard that the tobacco companies had increased their pricing last week. As I was walking into a tobacco store to buy a lottery ticket they had a big sign on the door stating that they had all increased their prices by $7 per carton and that was in addition to the $0.61 tax per pack that the feds were laying down on April 1st. That's almost a $14 increase per carton in less than a month...

With all the talk of FDA bans on e-cigs, and the huge tax and price increases on analogs...I'm going to be doing some serious stock piling of juice and spare parts.

"...Give me liberty or give me death!"

The tobacco companies have already put this tax into effect early. Phillip Morris put it into effect this week and RJ Reynolds will be doing it tomorrow. They are the ones who pay the tax so they can do what they want. I don't think for a minute it wasn't done early to make a little extra on those who thought they would stock up a week before the tax went into effect.

 

[Wildsky]

I bought my tobacco and tubes online a week ago. I live in the middle of nowhere so online purchases are pretty much my thing.

If you can't find in store - go online and try pick up some before the price hike. I buy from RYOcigarette.com

 

[Programmer]

No, I am not a conspiracy nut, but WTF?????? Are the powers that be planning on some sort of taxation coup? Stop the supply, prevent hoarding, then, badda bing- big sales on or after April 1st!? I am nuts?

I originally posted this reply in your other thread but I'll move it here since it seems more on-topic:

I don't think there's anything sinister going on. Simple fact is, today is WAY too late to start stockpiling. When I bought my 20 lbs in mid-Februrary, even then it was difficult.

I don't think April 1st will be a huge payoff. I think the entire month of April will be an extremely low revenue generating month. Those who were serious about rolling smokes have already stockpiled months if not years of tobacco. Casual rollers may discover that it's not worth the trouble anymore for the price.

And finally (if not most importantly) many RYO tobacco companies have closed their doors or have started playing the pipe tobacco game. That, I believe, is why you do not see stock.

 

[The Wiz]

My Gosh........I am SOOOOOO glad to be analog free! Although I do feed bad for those who are not! The Wiz!

 

[skullsoup432]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

Programmer- I too have laid in supplies, but maybe you made my point in a way I did not think of. Then how many casual rollers will be forced to pay for smokes by the pack or carton when/if there are no bags till April 1st? Many have laid in supplies, but how many don't have the cash to do so? If there are no bags, and they must buy the packs, they will be happy to get loose on April 1st. You may be correct that sales will drop (I hope they plummet and never recover, but recover they will) but if supplies are short 2 weeks from D-day, I still think the 1st could be a big day.

I also saw that the Michigan stop smoking hot line was overwhelmed with requests for help and free gum and patches. The idiots in government once again can not for see a coming crisis.

Our local convenience stores still have tobacco (yep, near the rose-in-a-tube and scouring pads) but they don't sell much anyways as they overprice the product. I'll bet that they will be out soon, when people can't get supplies at their usual place. That includes those .65oz pouches also.

 

[Kristy_424]

...it's a sure bet that no one in Washington (or Michigan, for that matter), is representing me!

One just has to love the corporate way of thinking. Does this constitute taxaion without representaion...LOL