"Read my lips, no new taxes". An infamous quote by George H. W. Bush at the 1998 Republican National Convention. After elected Bush raised taxes. In 1992, Bush lost his bid for re-election which I believe can be partially or mostly due to this broken promise.

Flash ahead to September 12th, 2008 and Barack H. Obama.

"I can make a firm pledge," he said in Dover, N.H., on Sept. 12. "Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes."

He repeatedly vowed "you will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime."

"Now in office, Obama, who stopped smoking but has admitted he slips now and then, signed a law raising the tobacco tax nearly 62 cents on a pack of cigarettes, to $1.01. Other tobacco products saw similarly steep increases."

Joe Biden: "No one making less than $250,000 under Barack Obama's plan will see one single penny of their tax raised," Joe Biden said, "whether it's their capital gains tax, their income tax, investment tax, any tax."

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D979POSG0&show_article=1


Good luck Obama supporters in defending this one.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2

here is the SCHIP bill I was looking for

You believe campaign promises..??????

Obama was talking about personal taxes. I thought that was obvious.
He wasn't talking about any sales taxes.

What part of "any tax" don't you understand?

From your article:

"The president's position throughout the campaign was that he would not raise income or payroll taxes on families making less than $250,000, and that's a promise he has kept," said White House spokesman Reid H. Cherlin."


That's how I understood it every time I heard him talk about it.

All taxes that I pay are personal

Read my post above you.

You obviously misunderstood. Last I checked a sales tax is still a tax. "Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not ANY (my emphasis) of your taxes."

You smoke and make less than 250K... your taxes were raised.

Stop smoking. Problem solved.

Feeling argumentive as usual I see Bee!

No, I didn't misunderstand. A cig. tax is not an income tax, payroll tax or a capital gain tax.

And, BOY, state sales taxes vary not just in percentage, but by items.
What I don't get is if the taxes on cigarettes are to pay for children's health care and this new tax forces people to quit being that the price is so prohibitive, will they raise the money they are trying to raise?
And, why not hit beer, wine and liquor up, too. And people who want to watch/read porn and see men and women strip, and on legalized prostitution? If government is so bent on scapegoating smokers, they should be more than willing to use those other sins for taxation.

Unfortunately, smoking or not smoking isn't the issue. The lie/broken promise is.

There's more to it than that. There will be less smokers then. Less smokers means less sick people. Less sick people means less health care costs. Also, hopefully, there will be less children smoking too.

If Obama's words were,"that he would not raise income or payroll taxes on families making less than $250,000,"
and you agree by saying, " Last I checked a sales tax is still a tax. "Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes."

Then Obama did not break a promise, so what are you argueing with?

I agree!
This tax was proposed while Bush was President. About two years ago.
One of the only times I ever said Bush done good was when he vetoed it.
Even if his reasons weren't FOR us. I still think he did good vetoing the tax then, and I would be a lot happier if the Dems raised taxes on all Americans to pay for this worthy program!

Less smokers means less revenue from the tax..it has been proven time after time that raising Taxes does NOT increase tax revenue...

The context of the statement is clear. He was speaking of personal income. I wasn't confused by it.

Bee / Gio
2012