House votes to crack down on tobacco black market

[Herzl]

House votes to crack down on tobacco black market

1 day ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Thursday approved tougher enforcement measures against contraband cigarette sales that make money for criminals, but cost federal, state and local governments billions of dollars.

The bill, which passed 397-11, is especially aimed at Internet sales. Sellers on the Internet and others shipping to remote locations would have to verify the purchaser's age and identity through accessible databases. (my emphasis)

Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products could no longer be mailed through the U.S. Postal Service except in limited cases. Private delivery companies already have agreed not to ship tobacco products while the Postal Service continues to deliver products purchased over the Internet.

Misdemeanors under current law would be made felonies, and it would be a federal offense for any seller failing to pay state tax laws.

The legislation would empower each state to enforce federal law against out-of-state sellers sending delivery sales into the state.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would gain authority to inspect distributors of cigarettes, and anyone refusing the inspection would be penalized.

Chief sponsor Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., said that as tobacco taxes have increased, "We have unwittingly created a large and growing black market for smuggled tobacco products."

Weiner cited a Government Accountability Office report that organizations including Hezbollah made money through the tobacco black market.

The Senate yet to consider the measure.

Copyright <img class="emojione" alt="" title=":copyright:" title=":copyright:" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/emojione/assets/png/00a9.png?v=2.2.7"/> 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Copied from http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ihRBqQOSdKR-8ub7K-SOVcRlo8JwD98APQL80

What impact on non-cigarette tobaccos?

 

[ShowMeState1977]

We can't have tobacco sales supporting terrorists now can we?

 

[mark]

nobody learned anything from prohibition ???

 

[kilted1]

It's a toss up as to which is a greater threat to 'homeland security' a terrorist supporting tobacco smuggler, or a SUV driving soccer mom on her cell phone.

KILL 'EM ALL LET GOD SORT 'EM OUT :affraid:

:lol!:

 

[Justpipes]

And do you expect anything less to come from our current socialist government?

 

[Doc Manhattan]

Re: non-cig tobacco, the article says that the private couriers are already in compliance with what the bill proposes. If that's the case, then compliant policy for pipeweed means age verification--no worse than the policy at your local B&M.

The pretense of this bill--cracking down on terror--is a bad joke of doubletalk. Almost all black market smokes come directly from China, and there are already dozens of tariff, anti-counterfeiting, and border security laws to crack down on a federal and state level.

What they're really trying to regulate out of business are "gray market" cigarettes, legally produced and/or sold tax-free by Indian tribes. It's legal under some pretty narrow circumstances, but internet sales have made it possible to widen every loophole to make it a booming industry. (The nerve of those Natives, stealing from the government--when did the government ever steal from them? :roll: )

 

[Dubbya]

nobody learned anything from prohibition ???

Nope.
[soapbox]

I think the key word in the quote in the original post is "unwittingly." It seems to me that pretty much every attempt at keeping anything out of reach of the general population of the US results in what we do, and have done since the English ran things. That particularly American skill is finding it elsewhere.

Did the Tea Tax result in the popularity of coffee? Nope. It resulted in the popularity of Dutch tea bought in Canada.

The same went for whiskey in the late 1700's, whiskey, again, in the early 1900's, and pretty much everything in the mid to late 1900's.

What people want in this country, people will get. This is without regard to taxation or legality.
[/soapbox]

 

[Olivier]

KILL 'EM ALL LET GOD SORT 'EM OUT :affraid:

:lol!:

ROTFLMAO :lol!:

 

[Natch]

And do you expect anything less to come from our current socialist government?

"The bill, which passed 397-11"; so I guess the majority (may I add vast majority) of the representatives from both parties voted for it? If the current government really pushed behind the scenes for this bill, then they must have incredible power to dominate the minority party. Considering the comments being thrown at the current government by the minority, I don't think they are controlled by anyone, (excluding big money, special interests, and the usual suspects, of course!). But that's just my take.

Natch