March 2013

<p>Oregon legislators have become addicted to the so-called sin taxes they place on booze, drugs, and gambling. If we don&rsquo;t break their addiction, it will expand into areas such as sugary soft drinks and fatty foods.</p>
<p>Now, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://cei.org/sites/default/files/Christopher%20Snowdon%20-%20The%20Wages%20of%20Sin%20Taxes.pdf\">a provocative new study</a> challenges the whole concept of sin taxes, finding that they &ldquo;not only do little to limit the use of &lsquo;bad&rsquo; products, they do nothing to reduce societal costs.&rdquo; Most remarkably, the study &ldquo;demonstrates that those shockingly large estimates of the costs that the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, sugar, and fat supposedly impose on society have little basis in reality.&rdquo;<br />
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There are additional studies done by the Congressional Research Service that support this study.</p>

Here is a list of pending legislation on tobacco, by taxes, bans or changing the legal age to purchase tobacco. <br />
Find out what is going on in your state.<br type=\"_moz\" />

The CDC gave grants to anti-tobacco, who in turn lobbied for smoking bans.
<p>The Inspector General\’s Office said quarterly grant reports filed by cities and organizations &quot;may reflect inappropriate lobbying activities using CPPW grant funds.&quot;</p>
<p>The letter proceeded to state that CDC-provided information &quot;appear to authorize, or even encourage grantees to use grant funds for impermissible lobbying. Furthermore, grantee activity reports posted online make troubling assertions that, on their face, raise the possibility that &hellip; anti-lobbying provisions were violated.&quot; <br />
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The Inspector General Office\’s allegation is a serious one. Use of congressional funds in an attempt to enact tobacco regulations is illegal.</p>