Just another back-door tax

The Attorney General is very proud of her success in obtaining billions of dollars from the tobacco companies for the state of Washington. I believe the truth of the matter is that she has only added another hidden tax onto the backs of people who smoke.

Consider this: Who really pays those billions of dollars? Not the tobacco companies. They will keep their profits and just pass the added costs of that law suit on to the consumers, making the legal extortion fees nothing more that a hidden tax. Since that settlement agreement, the price of cigarettes has increased from $20 to $22 per carton wholesale up to over $30 per carton. The state had already added tax of more than $1 before the settlement, so most of the big increase from $20 to $30 was increased profits to pay for that big lawsuit settlement.

So, just what good did the people get out of the deal? The fact is that the state hasn’t got all that money yet, and only those who smoke are going to be paying it. That sounds unfair to me. I don’t smoke and won’t have to pay it. But it still sounds like another back-door tax to me. A typical socialist idea – don’t make it illegal and put them out of business. Just use them as another cash cow. Doesn’t that make you proud of your attorney general’s accomplishments?

Lynnwood