tobaccoleaf1
Billboardtobacco.com Webmaster
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Your Phone Calls and Emails Are Working - But We Still Need Your IMMEDIATE ACTION To Help STOP this proposed tax!!********************************************************************
July 31, 2007
Dear J.C.Newman/Fuente & Newman Tobacconist,
First it was the Senate and now it's the House. Both Chambers of Congress are feverishly working on their respective versions of SCHIP legislation prior to leaving Washington D.C. the end of this week for their summer recess.
At 2:00 am last Friday, the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee did draft legislation that would increase cigar taxes by 115% from the current 20.7% to 44.6% and raise the cap 1,952% from $.04875 to $1.00 per cigar. While this is some improvement over the Senate version (thanks to all the calls and email you sent the first time), this additional tax is still way too much - it would increase your retail prices by as much as 70%. A cigar that retails for $4.50, for instance, would retail for $7.50.
WE NEED YOU TO EMAIL YOUR HOUSE and SENATE ELECTED OFFICIALS TODAY!!!!!!!!
Our protests against this outrageous tax increase are being heard, but we can't stop now. Email your Congressman and Senator today and tell them that you oppose the pending SCHIP bill unless they remove this massive cigar tax increase from this legislation - it's easy! Just go the RTDA legislative site - http://www.rtda.org/legislation.html - enter your zip code, "click GO" and you will be taken to a list of our own representatives. Where indicated, tell them that you oppose any federal cigar tax increase and that:
1. A 1,952% cigar tax increase would put you out of business.
2. The floor stocks tax provided for in the Senate version would also put you out of business.
3. The bill being proposed would raise your retail prices by 70%.
4. No other product has ever been subject to such an exorbitant tax. Ironically the federal excise tax on a can of beer and a glass of wine are both a nickel, the same as we have for cigars now - so a $1.00 tax on a $4.50 cigar is outrageous.
5. You want them to remove this massive cigar tax increase from this legislation.
It takes only a minute to email your elected official but this could be the most important email you ever send - the future of our industry is at stake. Thank you for our prompt action.
Sincerely,
Eric M. Newman
President
J.C. Newman Cigar Company
Your Phone Calls and Emails Are Working - But We Still Need Your IMMEDIATE ACTION To Help STOP this proposed tax!!********************************************************************
July 31, 2007
Dear J.C.Newman/Fuente & Newman Tobacconist,
First it was the Senate and now it's the House. Both Chambers of Congress are feverishly working on their respective versions of SCHIP legislation prior to leaving Washington D.C. the end of this week for their summer recess.
At 2:00 am last Friday, the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee did draft legislation that would increase cigar taxes by 115% from the current 20.7% to 44.6% and raise the cap 1,952% from $.04875 to $1.00 per cigar. While this is some improvement over the Senate version (thanks to all the calls and email you sent the first time), this additional tax is still way too much - it would increase your retail prices by as much as 70%. A cigar that retails for $4.50, for instance, would retail for $7.50.
WE NEED YOU TO EMAIL YOUR HOUSE and SENATE ELECTED OFFICIALS TODAY!!!!!!!!
Our protests against this outrageous tax increase are being heard, but we can't stop now. Email your Congressman and Senator today and tell them that you oppose the pending SCHIP bill unless they remove this massive cigar tax increase from this legislation - it's easy! Just go the RTDA legislative site - http://www.rtda.org/legislation.html - enter your zip code, "click GO" and you will be taken to a list of our own representatives. Where indicated, tell them that you oppose any federal cigar tax increase and that:
1. A 1,952% cigar tax increase would put you out of business.
2. The floor stocks tax provided for in the Senate version would also put you out of business.
3. The bill being proposed would raise your retail prices by 70%.
4. No other product has ever been subject to such an exorbitant tax. Ironically the federal excise tax on a can of beer and a glass of wine are both a nickel, the same as we have for cigars now - so a $1.00 tax on a $4.50 cigar is outrageous.
5. You want them to remove this massive cigar tax increase from this legislation.
It takes only a minute to email your elected official but this could be the most important email you ever send - the future of our industry is at stake. Thank you for our prompt action.
Sincerely,
Eric M. Newman
President
J.C. Newman Cigar Company