If you are among the hordes of people worried about the incredibly dangerous threat of people buying cigarettes in Virginia as a response to draconian vice taxes, don’t you worry – Comptroller Franchot is on the case!
Take this case for instance. Zaur Rakhamimov was arrested in Worcester County for possessing and transporting contraband cigarettes that he had bought in Virginia. Nevermind the fact that his car has New York plates and he was probably only driving back through Maryland. As a result of this obviously degenerate crime, Mr. Rakhamimov could get as much as $150,000 fine and/or 3 or more years in prison.
He isn’t the only one either.
Since the start of fiscal year 2010 on July 1, 2009, Comptroller agents have already arrested 39 individuals for tobacco violations and seized 17,097 packs of contraband cigarettes valued at nearly $100,000. During fiscal year 2009, 114 individuals were arrested and 172,793 packs of cigarettes valued at more than $850,000 were seized.
Now then, correct me if I’m wrong, but with Maryland facing a gigantic budget deficit, does it really make much sense to waste funds pursuing and prosecuting these crimes. Why not try making it so people don’t feel the need to go across the state border to get their nicotine fix. Of course, I don’t know what could possibly do that, except for maybe, oh how about…CUTTING THE TOBACCO TAX?
But hey, when you live in the People’s Republic of Maryland, why worry about that sort of thing when you can just keep hiking taxes and punishing people for responding logically, while billing it all to the taxpayers?
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[...] Or Maybe You Know, Change the Law? « Questing for Atlantis questingforatlantis.com/2009/09/30/or-maybe-you-know-change-the-law – view page – cached If you are among the hordes of people worried about the incredibly dangerous threat of people buying cigarettes in Virginia as a response to draconian vice taxes, don’t you worry – Comptroller… (Read more)If you are among the hordes of people worried about the incredibly dangerous threat of people buying cigarettes in Virginia as a response to draconian vice taxes, don’t you worry – Comptroller Franchot is on the case! (Read less) — From the page [...]