Idaho should stand as independent sanctuary

The newly-installed Idaho Legislature is proposing a new tax on cigarettes. If passed, the proposal would increase the tax on a pack of smokes from .57 cents to $1.82, ( an increase of $1.25 / pack ). Someone calculated that such an increase would garner the state of Idaho an additional tax revenue of $51.1 million. Not $50 million, not $49 million, but $51.1 million. Can they really be sure of this number?

Idaho is currently an “island” of low tobacco taxes among most of it’s neighboring states. Washington’s tax of $3.025/pack is more than five times that of Idaho. Montana’s tax of $1.70/pack is just shy of three times. Oregon’s tax of $1.18/pack is more than two times that of Idaho.

Where does a reasonably intelligent person think that carton buying smokers in Spokane, Pullman, and Clarkston go for their purchase? Idaho, of course.

Idaho is pulling tax revenue from all of those people who are escaping high taxes in their own state.

Pony up, Idaho, we’ll need to fill that gap! Nevada’s tax is $.60/pack. Do we want to turn our citizens into tax cheating criminals when they cross from Nevada to Idaho with tobacco?

Instead of following other states in lemming-like fashion, why doesn’t Idaho stand out as an independent sanctuary from regressive taxation over a legal product?

Lastly, I wonder what Idaho has been doing with their ongoing portion of the tobacco industry “shakedown/settlement” of 1998? Something for another time. And I’ll let you guess whether I smoke or not.

JOHN LARRABEE

Sandpoint