[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 56 (Thursday, April 2, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H4400]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             CIGARETTE TAX

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, all in one week we've had April Fool's Day, 
the Democrats' budget, and the largest increase in cigarette taxes 
ever. But the American people aren't foolish and they aren't in the 
mood for gimmicks.
  Yesterday, the Federal tax on a pack of cigarettes went up--way up. 
Was this tax raised to get people to stop smoking? Or was it raised to 
pay for a massive expansion in SCHIP? Well, both, actually. And that's 
a crazy way to run a railroad.
  SCHIP needs more money under the Democrats' plan. So we're going to 
need more people to start smoking, not fewer. In fact, we're going to 
need about 22 million new people to start smoking.
  But this tax increase is going to convince people to stop smoking, 
which means the SCHIP will be short of funds and the folks in charge in 
Congress are going to want to raise taxes again soon.
  I'm all for health care for kids, and I'm all for getting people to 
quit smoking, but I'm against health care run by bureaucrats and health 
care programs funded by cigarette taxes.
  The American people must wonder what Democrat leaders are smoking in 
Washington these days. And that is no laughing matter.

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