Cigarettes - Are The Taxes Killing You ?

Going to the local store for a carton of cigarettes ? How much do they really cost ? Forget about the taxes for the moment, what does a carton of your inexpensive generic brand cigarettes cost ? Would you believe $ 7.89 ? By ordering over the internet, you can save over $ 11.00 per carton, sometimes more. Keep reading ...
BUYING A CARTON OF CIGARETTES IN THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA

From what I understand from speaking to other amateur radio operators in different states such as New York, some brands of cigarettes now cost close to $5.00 a PACK. Here in Pennsylvania, the average cost per pack for generic cigarettes is roughly $2.49, or $24.90 a carton.   This informational page will be dealing with Pennsylvania pricing only.

      If you are wondering why we pay $24.90 a carton, when they only cost $ 7.89, you can thank our government. Most people feel that the cost of cigarettes keep going up however that is not the fact. It is the TAXES that keep going up.

      In the month of July 2002, Pennsylvania raised the TAXES (Pennsylvania Excise Tax) from roughly $ 3.00 a carton to $10.00 a carton. That is a $ 7.00 TAX increase. If you are a smoker, after reading that, wouldn't you want to do something about it ? Keep reading, and possibly WE, THE PEOPLE may be able to.

Here is a breakdown of where your money is going for a carton of generic cigarettes.

Store Receipt

How many packs of cigarettes do you smoke each day ? For an example, say you are a 1 pack a day smoker. There are 365 days in your average year. So, that would equal 36.5 cartons of cigarettes, or $365.00 dollars a year taxes for the PA EXCISE TAX ONLY. Add the extra $47.81 dollars for the PA Sales Tax, and $142.35 dollars for the Federal Excise Tax, your total TAXES for your 1 pack a day "habit" equals $555.16 dollars in TAXES ALONE. ( Also, it might help if you keep your receipts... just in case. )

Take AWAY the TAXES, your cigarettes would then cost you a measly $287.99, or $288.00 dollars.

TAKE AWAY THE TAXES TAKE AWAY THE TAXES TAKE AWAY THE TAXES TAKE AWAY THE TAXES

So, are you upset yet ? If so, get mad ! To my knowledge, it has been quite a long time since we had a good old "tea party". Unless you plan on making a trip to Boston, the next best thing would be to EMAIL YOUR GOVERNOR'S OFFICE. DON'T FORGET YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS. It may also help to send a copy to your Congressman. Although your Congressman had nothing to do with the latest cigarette TAX increase in Pennsylvania, they WILL pass on your concerns to all of the other branches of YOUR government. The TAX increase was the result of YOUR STATE LEGISLATURE. NOTE: Most of YOUR representatives smoke cigars. THERE WERE NO TAX INCREASES ON CIGARS !

Here is a copy of the email that I received from
Congressman John Murtha:

Mr. Jacobs: I appreciate your message on the
increase in cigarette taxes. This was done by the
State Legislature, and I'm glad to relay your
concerns to the Governor's Office and the State
Legislators from our area. As you note, Mr.
Jacobs, this is not something illegal and is an
individual choice, and I'll stress these points.
Thanks again and all the best wishes.

Congressman John Murtha.

If you can't find the offical you are looking for, use your favorite search engine and use the keywords "PA", "GOV", "LEGISLATIVE", or "CONGRESS". is an excellent search engine.

Notes and Other Information

The term "habit" was used on this web site area. Most smokers, at least those that I know have smoked for a long, long time. Habit is defined as a "practice that is hard to give up", addiction", and "settled or regular tendency". Smoking IS a habit. It would be hard for me to quit. Yes, it is also addictive. However, personally I enjoy it. I have smoked for over 30 years and I have no plans on stopping now. HOWEVER, PLEASE, IF YOU DON'T SMOKE, DON'T START !

CIGARETTES FOR LESS ! Today, after paying $ 23.90 for a carton of CT cigarettes (yes, the price went up again), I did a simple search on Google.Com and used the search words "cigarettes", "wholesale", and "CT" and several sites came up. I selected a company called eSmokes. A carton of CT Brand cigarettes, on line, cost $ 11.29 ! They do have a shipping and handling charge, however it is minimal. I purchased 5 cartons to start, with the total price at $ 56.45. After shipping and handling, the final cost was $ 62.79. That is $ 12.56, a savings of $ 11.34 a carton ! 5 cartons x $ 11.34 = $ 56.70 ! I don't know about you, but I can think of better things to do with $ 56.70 then donating to our local stores and paying more taxes ! Take a look at the site, make up your own mind...

* Reference material and information was gathered with the help of Mr. Gary Colatch, Colatch Wholesale located in Pennsylvania. Feel free to email Gary at colatch@qcol.net or just click on the link highlighted in red. The standard price reference was provided by Colatch Wholesale, using their CT Brand of cigarettes. Webmaster is Sam W. Jacobs CET, and is not an employee of, has not been paid by, and/or compensated in anyway by Mr. Colatch or CigTec Tobacco LLC.

Any problems associated with the operation of this website, please notify the Webmaster Thank You.

One Carton Of CT Cigarettes	$ 7.89
Federal Excise Tax	$ 3.90
Pa. State Excise Tax (raised)	$10.00
Pa. State Sales Tax	$ 1.31
	======
TOTAL	$ 23.10

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