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10/31/2007
Smoking toward a hospital tax
Just kind of weird. Senator Breske (D-Eland) owned a tavern for more than 20 years and is staunchly opposed to a statewide smoking ban that would include bars. Matter of fact, he’s so strongly opposed that he’s holding up the statewide smoking ban bill in the Senate – and most likely won’t be able to compromise with Senator Risser (D-Madison), the unceasing advocate for eliminating smoking in all public places.
Somehow that just doesn’t jive with Breske’s announcement that he was going to reintroduce the hospital tax. Heck, smoke more, use hospitals more, get taxed more. Makes sense to me. So Senator Breske is agreeing with the Tavern League and the Wisconsin Hospital Association and the tobacco lobby all at the same time. Gosh, how can he be anything but right on this issue?
As a strong supporter of the “great health care plan,” and smoking and your favorite adult beverage, Breske is encouraging visits from our Full-Smoking-Ban neighbors to the south and east in more ways than one. Come one, come all for free health care – you may need lots of it as you continue smoking and imbibing.
Then there’s Governor Doyle’s statement that he doesn’t believe the new budget breaks his 2003 no-tax-increase promise. The guv shared that he has always said he’d be willing to increase cigarette taxes as long as the money goes toward fighting youth smoking. [What?] So a cigarette tax is not a tax, even when hundreds of millions of dollars from the cigarette tax circuitously end up in general purpose revenues to be spent on a lot more than fighting youth smoking. I don’t buy it, Mr. Governor.
And then the budget hawks’ worst fear. (From the same AP article sited above), “’In my view, I hope this [cigarette tax] is a tax we don’t collect any revenue from in 10 years from now,’ Doyle said.”
So it’s not a tax because it’s a revenue source that should decline rather than increase. Now that makes sense. A tax to fund ongoing activities in the state budget that’s supposed to disappear – that sure as I’m sitting here will then be replaced by some other tax in 10 years. Great. Even more hospital or sales or income taxes. Can’t wait.
Just kind of weird.
COMMENTS
The consummate politician, CTA, cover thy aft.
When do we get representatives of the people?
Richard Parins (Wed Oct 31 11:16:20 2007)
So here we have an ex-tavern owner working in a smoke free city (Madison) that has had to stop issuing new tavern licenses because too many were being built.
Yes Madison is a university town, and students are heavier-than-normal smokers. Obviously, stopping smoking didn't stop drinking.
But let's not forget that the tobacco industry is a major campaign contributor, not just to politicians but also to the tavern league. So I suggest that we follow the money, and I expect it will lead directly to Breske's wallet.
Jack Lohman (Fri Nov 02 09:58:21 2007)
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