Pubdate: Sat, 10 Oct 1998 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Contact: http://www.sjmercury.com/ Author: Ken Cavagnaro PROP. 10 PAVES WAY FOR BLACK MARKET I do not smoke, but I'm opposed to the tobacco tax in Proposition 10. This is just one more step toward tobacco prohibition initiated by do-gooders who want to protect people from themselves. Yesterday it was a ban on smoking in bars. Today it is a huge tax increase. Tomorrow will bring bans on smoking in individual residences and still more tax increases. The Mercury News reports the additional 50-cent tax imposed by Proposition 10 would raise the average cost of cigarettes to $3.05 per pack. And don't forget federal legislation, although stalled for now, will be back. The federal tax will eventually pass, and that could raise the price an additional $1.10 to $4.15 per pack. At that point a huge unregulated black market for tobacco would develop. Unscrupulous people would be able to avoid all taxes, severely undercut legitimate retailers, and make a tidy profit. - -- Ken Cavagnaro San Jose - --- Checked-by: Patrick Henry