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Smoking Bans and the Economy
By Jesse | December 11, 2008 |
I keep an eye open for any news regarding the Ohio Smoking Ban and the sad joke it has become. This poorly thought out ban makes even less sense now than it ever did.
The amount of money provided to the counties is not enough to enforce the ban as the Department of Health in most counties don’t have the man power of enforce it.
This Cincinnati.com article shows how well funded the smoking ban is to investigate over 37,000 complaints registered since May 3rd.
Fines do not cover enforcement costs, and the state only spends $625,000 on the program, which is distributed on a per-capita basis.
In total, Ohio has just two investigators who visit bars and clubs to enforce the ban — and 35 of 130 local health districts have turned over enforcement to state officials.
Obviously if they plan to succeed with the smoking ban they’ll need to better fund it. One slight problem, the economic downturn has hit Ohio very hard.
Six months after bipartisan hugs celebrated the nearly unanimous approval of a two-year budget for Ohio, that spending plan is coming unraveled.
The state faces a budget shortfall of between $733 million and $1.9 billion dollars by the middle of next year, the governor’s office said Wednesday.
While that $625,000 is a drop in the bucket to the estimated short fall, but I wonder if the state really wants to discourage tobacco use in these hard times. Ohio’s Cigarette Tax brought in $955.2 Million in 2007 and other tobacco products came in around $31 Million.
Bars are closing because of the ban and less people are smoking. I hope all of the non-smokers are prepared to pick up the additional tax burden. It is my choice to smoke, it is your choice to not go to a place the allows smoking. I’ll gladly pay my extra tax to do something I enjoy, but by preventing me from doing that you’ll be the one paying for it.
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Tags: Economy, Ohio Smoking Ban, Smoking Bans, taxes
Topics: Smoking Bans | 6 Comments »
6 Responses to “Smoking Bans and the Economy”
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December 11th, 2008 at 6:49 am
did you notice how we smokers are being discriminated against? Before I started smoking, if I didn’t like the cigarrette smoke, I didnt’t go in, or I sat in the non smoking section. I felt they had the right to smoke, just like I have the right not to.
Now I smoke, and I still respect (to a point) the non-smoker. When we go to our local social club, we sit back in the corner, because sometimes there are people eating and I know some folk don’t like to smell smoke when they are eating.
If we are there first, then it’s up to them to decide where they sit.
AND contrary to what the “health” official say, SMOKING DOES NOT CAUSE CANCER, YOUR OWN MIND AND THE WAY YOU THINK DOES.
http://www.carolwingert.com
December 11th, 2008 at 8:13 am
The Illinois ban is very profitable for the Governor. Hopefully we’ll find out how profitable in the upcoming investigations.
December 11th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Every scheme to raise taxes, at practically any level and for any purpose, falls short of the expected revenues that the backers predict when they are pushing through these taxes. The politicians then spend the money based on the predictions and when the revenues are short they have two choices: cut spending or raise taxes elsewhere. Any sensible people would cut spending, but these are politicians we’re talking about here. Witness my home state of California where the people keep voting themselves for big-spending projects, the politicians keep raising taxes and fees, and no one ever expects to get spending cut–and when cuts are threatened the unions come unglued and air all kinds of propaganda campaigns about how the kids won’t get educated and police and fire won’t be there to help. Just one small reason that I am out of this state in 5 weeks!
The truth is that smokers deserve a parade for all the tax revenue that we generate and all the “children’s health” programs we prop up. Non-smokers should be aware: if you back higher taxes on tobacco products, do not expect us smokers to feel sorry for you when they come to slay your sacred cow. Last year the city of Chicago had a shortfall of revenue in the public utilities so they tried to impose a stiff tax on bottled water.
December 11th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Excellent post, CJ. It’s sad that few in “mainstream” media will ever draw attention to the issue in this manner.
December 11th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
We are now calling the “Blagoban”
December 15th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Some cities are taking a step back on the total smoking bans. Boston and Dallas have opted to exempt some cigar bars and, at least in the case of Boston, their reasoning for giving an exemption (for ten years) is the state of the economy.
Unfortunately, history shows that these exemptions are short lived. Eventually the economy is going to turn around and those crusading politicians will come after smokers once again.