Tax that Man Behind the Tree

"Don't tax me and don't tax thee. Tax that man behind the tree." That's an old colonial barb on taxation, whose paraphrase is commonly attributed to former Senator Russell Long (D-LA). However, this old barb rediscovered a newfound popularity in the 20th Century, continuing on into the 21st Century.

Hello. I'm one of those people behind the tree - a person who, for better or worse, has chosen to smoke cigarettes. True, I'm not alone. Many people across the country choose to smoke cigarettes as well. But ultimately, we smokers are a minority. And because we're a minority, we're an easy target at the ballot box when politicians need revenue to fund projects ... some worthy ... some not so worthy ... but mostly none that are directly related to smoking's negative effects.

To keep things simple (and local), I'm only going to speak about my home state - Oregon. As of July 1st this year and out of the 51 domestic tax zones in this country (50 states plus D.C.), Oregon's cigarette tax is $1.18 per pack - ranking it as the 20th highest cigarette tax in the country. But next month, Oregon voters will vote on "Measure 50" - a new tax levy on cigarettes. If it passes, Oregon's new cigarette tax will be $2.01 per pack - ranking it as the 4th highest cigarette tax in the country. In case anyone's curious, the highest cigarette taxes are paid in New Jersey ($2.58 per pack) and the lowest in South Carolina (7 cents per pack).

The purpose behind Measure 50, according to supporters, is to fund a "Healthy Kids" program - guaranteeing basic health care for uninsured children. Now, supporters of the measure haven't mentioned the definitive link between smoking and uninsured children ... so I'll just guess that there is none. And, these supporters (undoubtedly all of whom are non-smokers or anti-smokers) are trying very hard to convince all Oregonians to fund it by taxing "that man behind the tree" ... who, by virtue of his minority status, cannot hope to prevail if supporters succeed.

Or can he?