Cigarette Tax: Bad For Business, Bad For You

Springfield businessmen say the proposed $1-per-pack tax increase on cigarettes constitutes an unfair tax on the poor.

by Lee Williams

Springfield businessmen say the proposed $1-per-pack tax increase on cigarettes constitutes an unfair tax on the poor.

They say the proposed tax increase will harm their business and lead to an increase in bootlegging.

The typical cigarette customer, they say, has already reached the “plateau” of what they are willing to pay for cigarettes. They expect their customers to quit or purchase cigarettes in other states. The tax will, therefore, not bring in anything near the revenue currently being bandied about legislative hall.

They’ve already halted any plans for expanding their businesses out of fear of the proposed tax.

“The only expansion plans I have would be for a toll bridge to Missouri,” quipped Steve Kerber, CFO of the 17-store Discount Tobacco chain.

Kerber, and others, say the tax will unfairly victimize the poor.

“They’ve already been pushed to the limit,” he said.