Home  >  Nebraska  >  Smoking out the cigarette tax

Smoking out the cigarette tax

By   /   September 11, 2012  /   12 Comments

Joe Jordan | Nebraska Watchdog

Will the City of Omaha jack up the tax on cigarettes to help pay for a $300 million cancer center?

The University of Nebraska Medical Center says the research facility will bring in $100 million a year and add 1,200 jobs.

KFAB radio’s Gary Sadlemyer and Jim Rose spoke with Nebraska Watchdog’s Joe Jordan about the city council’s possible payment plan which could add another 35 cents to a pack of cigarettes.

Contact Joe Jordan at joe@nebraskawatchdog.org

Editor’s note: To subscribe to News Updates from Nebraska Watchdog at no cost, click here.


YouTube

Please, feel free to "steal our stuff"! Just remember to credit Watchdog.org. Find out more

Joe Jordan

  • racefish

    You can’t carry a restaurant back from Sarpy or Pottawatomie counties. That just don’t wash.
    The truth of the matter is people who live in those counties will bring them in for friends.
    One other matter you have to consider, is the fact most people who do smoke are usually i the lower 30% economically. The others have long since quit.
    How about getting Buffett to get off his duff and give UNMC a grant for the balance. He can certainly afford it and it’s tax deductible. But then, he’s more interested in feeding kids in Africa than taking care of our own.

  • Biff

    Why would we NOT want to invest in research like this. High-paying jobs, which expand the tax base; lead to a more learned population; spinoff research facilities — there is no downside to this folks…just a lot of naysayers blowing hot air.

  • ToucheTurtle

    How indeed!!!! You are sooooo right . . . . let’s just stick it to the smokers one more time. After all, they are a minority who participate in a LEGAL activity but have been demonized by just about every organization who can use it as an excuse to tax them!!!

    In my opinion, this is a matter of DISCRIMINATION!!! My mother died of small cell cancer – normally related to smoking – and NEVER smoked a day in her life; no one smoked in our home; and no one smoked in her parent’s home. Therefore, even though my mom had “smoker’s cancer”, it WASN”T caused by smoking! How in the world did THAT happen?

    How about we use some of the money awarded in the lawsuit settlement with tobacco companies to pay for this building! Oh wait, bet that money is long gone . . . thought it was SUPPOSED to go to help pay medical expenses for the cancer sufferers caused by smoking . . . guess that was just an EXCUSE to hit the tobacco companies just like we “sock it to the smokers” today!!! Smokers PAID for Memorial Stadium in Lincoln . . . ain’t that GREAT????

    How about we ALL pay for cancer research since it is nearly guaranteed that we will each face cancer in some form during our lifetime. “Why would we NOT want to invest in research like this.” Does this mean YOU are a smoker who has NO PROBLEM with another raise on your cigarettes in order to benefit ALL of society???? Bet the answer to that one is NO!!!!

    No, you most likely are one of “THOSE” who just pile it on! Just remember, there may be something – weight, height, hair color, disability, intelligence or lack thereof – that may make YOU part of the next group to be discriminated against . . . the slippery slope ALWAYS goes down hill!! Is this REALLY where we want to go as a society?

  • Roger Yant

    Lets jab it to the smokers again. I have never or will ever smoke, I find it disgusting in fact. But why are you picking on that segment of our population? Most are those that can least afford it. Hell, they paid for the Devany center here in Lincoln and countless other projects, now you want their blood some more. At that cost they will get it in other counties or go over to Council Bluffs and buy them by the cartons and bring them back. What are you going to do if you find someone who bought their cigs in another county or state fine or through them in jail? Having the cancer center would be fantastic, we have a son with cancer right now, but DO NOT do it in this way. Heck, I might go into the business of selling cigs to the people in Omaha and make a few bucks, you know that will happen don’t you? (not me but others). Do we not have some wealthy people in Nebraska that could pony up for a tax right off. Hell if I had it I would give it for no tax right off, just because it’s the thing one should do. We are supposed to help one another and one thing about Buffett, he just does not get it.

  • jazzee

    This is so wrong. Why target one group for this building? Why don’t they go out and raise the money? whether you agree with smoking or not how about we tax each of you for driving the wrong car, having a beer after work or not doing enough push ups? You may think it’s cute they target smokers but it will all come back to you something you do or like and they will go after you too…it’s just so easy to attack smokers and it has to stop. I once asked a state senator if you care so much for smokers BAN tobacco in the state–his face went white but ‘we would lose the money.’ enough said……………….

  • bt

    Biff, can you point to one economic project that government has done that has lowered or keep taxes lower? You don’t do it because it is not what government should do. While the city of Omaha has continued with their Taj Mahal projects in honor of the majors, they have racked up a 1.5 to 2 billion dollar bill to replace their antiquated sewer system. And yes they have know since the 1970s that the sewer needed upgrading. They can not afford to do what they should, they certainly can not afford to do what they shouldn’t. Facilities at UNL are not taxed and there is no way to guarantee that those who work there would live any where near Omaha so they could be taxed. If fact if they are that smart, they would know not to live in the city. Show where is all the economic impact? They should tax the people who live in the districts of the council members who vote for such a thing. They elected them, let them pay to support their ideas. If that were the case, the issue would never come up. I didn’t say anything when the came for everyone else, so when they came for mne, there was no one to stand up with me.

  • OmaSteak

    If anyone thinks the police and fire unions carry an oversized stick in local politics, stand back and watch the UNMedCenter at work. Their private fund raising is not going well, so they immediately turn to Douglas County and the city of Omaha taxpayers pockets…after the Legislature already gave them $150 million taxpayer dollars. All you have to do is look at who is backing the project, every corporate interest that stands to make millions in the architecture, engineering, construction, etc. The ultimate prize is not those millions but the “to be developed” drug/treatment patents which will be spun out of the research facility into private equity/venture capital with literally hundreds of millions of potential profits. If you can sucker/scare elected officials into using taxpayer dollars for funding, even better. The real question this new “sales tax” proposal raises is, “When is someone at the state level going to introduce/pass legislation the takes the authority to levy “occupation tax” away from obvious abusers like Omaha???”

  • roadrunner

    Don’t want to pay the tax? Don’t smoke, dip or chew! It’s that simple!
    Sin taxes are never ‘fair’.

  • jazzee

    Runner: Wow sin taxes are never fair..how about this? ALL nOn smokers pay for this building……..just sayin’

  • ToucheTurtle

    That is like saying if you don’t want to pay the tax, don’t get cancer!!! Do you think smokers should pay for the research discoveries that YOU will have access to WHEN you get cancer??? Maybe they really don’t care whether you get well or not!!! So just maybe YOU should be kicking in some money since you or yours may benefit from the results!!! Your reference to “sin taxes” is insulting!!!!

  • Stopmom

    I have to chuckle when people say “I don’t smoke so I’m not paying this tax.” Everyone pays for this type of tax. If your employed in the local area, you are paying for the tax. Tobacco users budget their household expenses just like everyone else and they come from all walks of life, all incomes. So when the tax goes up, tobacco users simply do with less of something else in their household budget just as we do when gas prices increase. Unfortunately, local business takes it in the shorts because tobacco users are going to spend less locally. Multiply that by all the taxes that have been dumped on cigarette smokers over the years and you’ve got quite a bit of money not spent in the community, such as steaks from Omaha Steaks, monthly groceries, going out, etc. and going into local government pockets. It’s a very quiet robbery. Taxes like this hurt the economy regardless, whether you smoke or not. So anyone who says, “I don’t smoke, I’m not against this tax,” is not looking at the trickle-down affect this type of tax has. I agree with OmaSteak, when is someone with legislative power going to do something about these “health taxes” that turn people against people socially, increase crime all over the city and have an impact on every citizen, even those who don’t smoke?

  • Jazzee

    excellent post but they won’t ever ‘get it’ until they are taxed for something they demand be ‘their right’ look at the noise everyone made about the state wanting to ban cell phones while driving they all screamed ‘you can’t take away my rights’ what a joke…smokers like it or not have rights..I say tax the lawyers since big fat jerram thinks it’s okay to tax smokers…make the ‘generous’ lawyers pay up