Axe the tab tax

Proposals to more than quadruple California's ciggy tax have been slammed as ineffective and likely to lead to the creation of a black market. Writing in Give War a Chance, Hawkgirl said of the proposed $2 a pack tax: "How stupid do they think we are (don't answer that)? Do you think that I would opt to pay 50% more for a pack of cigarettes instead of taking a short drive to Mexico or Arizona? Do you think I am the only person that has considered opening a black market retail outfit of my own to fly in the face of this sort of blatant discrimination? Do you think it's going to get me to quit? Because if you do, you couldn't be more wrong. I'll quit when I'm good and ready, and for reasons of my own..."

Tobacco tax in the UK is about $6 for a pack of 20 cigarettes.