Smoke break gets more expensive with tax boost

With President Obama needing to find a way to pay for some of health care plans for children in SCHIP, he agreed to raise the tax on cigarettes by almost 70 cents. I hope that this measure is able to actually get people to decrease their smoking habits given the long-term health effects that arise from having such a habit. One of the more interesting aspects of this increase is how the companies have raised their prices to counteract the profit losses they expect to see this year. I see this as potentially causing some unrest from smokers because given the state of the economy, any increases in luxury items can cause problems and potentially the decision not to buy as many or even any at all. At least President Obama is doing something that he himself will have to pay for in order to get his political goals accomplished. As a smoker, Obama will subject himself to the higher prices and serve as an example to his fellow citizens. With the price increase, the government stands to accrue $30 plus billion in extra revenue, not a light figure, and I see this as only a portion of what is needed for the grand health care plans of the administration and it will definitely be interesting when the final budget comes out how Congress plans to pay for the rest of it.