CIGARETTE SMUGGLING:WHAT DID WE EXPECT TO HAPPEN?

According to the news,cigarette smuggling across the border is "exploding."
This was entirely predictable - we had only to look at the Canadian
experiment with high tobacco taxes a few years ago. Eventually the tax was
rescinded because smuggling "exploded."

Speaking as one who enjoys smoking and who is usually a law-abiding
citizen, I can tell you that I would buy smuggled cigarettes if I could
find a source. It is unconscionable and, in my opinion, immoral to tax one
minority group of citizens (smokers) at a rate so much higher than the
general populace.

Taxes should be shared more or less equally among all the people. It is
important to remember that cigarettes and cigarette manufacturers don't pay
taxes; people do.

Daniel M. Short La Habra