in Schenectady, said she thinks the tax increase will backfire on the state as more smokers either smoke less or buy cigarettes in other states.Ī pack of cigarettes sold in out-of-state border towns ranges from about $6.45 to $7.85. Linda Scott, the owner of tobacco retailer Orion Boutique at 169 Jay St. The tobacco taxes are expected to be a big revenue raiser for the 2011-12 budget, which was due April 1. The tax increase makes New York state the most expensive place to smoke in the U.S. For some brands the price will be more than $10 per pack. The tax increase was passed into law last week and raises state taxes per pack from $2.75 to $4.35, increasing the cost of cigarettes per pack from about $7.60 to $9.20. “Some customers are even going off brands because I’ve completely run out of some of them,” Malik said. Similar sales were reported at the Smokers Choice in Johnstown.
She said Wednesday a typical customer at Smokers Choice was spending as much as $500 on cartons of cigarettes. Malik said such run-ups have been typical prior to tax increases in the past and she isn’t certain how the tax increase will affect long-term demand. “We set a five-carton-per-customer limit to make sure we had supply for every customer’s demand.” I’ve just been overwhelmed by people coming in to buy cartons and cartons,” Malik said. Smokers flooded local tobacco retailers Wednesday to stock up on cigarettes in advance of a $1.60-per-pack state tax increase set to go into effect today.Ĭarol Malik, manager of Smokers Choice on Route 30 in Amsterdam, said far from hurting her business, the tax increase has spiked demand for cartons of cigarettes, at least in the short term.
0 kommentar(er)
