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2010 TOBACCO RETAILING ISSUES
Halt Unlicensed, Unregulated, Untaxed Sales of Retail Products The state Tax Department is shirking its obligation to equally
enforce the tax law by refusing to collect taxes on Native American sales
of gas and cigarettes to non-Native American New Yorkers. The tax evasion
epidemic has crippled the convenience store industry and is growing worse
by the day. New York must level the playing field. The tax fairness law must be enforced. Reject Higher Taxes and Fees Impacting C-Stores and Their Customers Increasing the state cigarette excise tax rate even further before solving the tax evasion problem would be reckless and irresponsible. The last three cigarette tax increases (2000, 2002 and 2008) proved self-defeating because of the abundance of tax-free sources of cigarettes readily available to New Yorkers. Moreover, the idea of allowing county-level cigarette excise taxes - above and beyond state taxes - as proposed by some New York counties would create greater incentives to smokers to evade taxes while imposing new logistical burdens on cigarette stamping agents and the tax-collecting retail stores they supply. NYACS Memo to Legislature 6/10/2010 Why County Cigarette Tax Would Be Self-Defeating Aug 2009 Memo to Senate regarding tobacco registration fee 2010 Cigarette Tax Impact Survey
For 20 years, the Cigarette Marketing Standards Act has discriminated against mom-and-pop stores by forcing them to pay suppliers a higher wholesale price for cigarettes than larger retail chains they compete with. With single-store operators comprising two-thirds of our retail membership, NYACS supports amending the CMSA to establish one, uniform wholesale price level that is acceptable to all NYACS member retailers and wholesalers. In addition, NYACS seeks to increase the state minimum retail markup on cigarettes due to escalating costs of doing business. NYACS also supports a concurrent modest increase in the wholesale markup. Enact Civil Penalties for Minors Who Possess or Attempt to Buy Tobacco Products, Rather Than Changing the Legal Purchase Age Preventing youth access to tobacco should be a shared responsibility among retailers, their employees, the community, and young people themselves. Since most underage smokers get cigarettes not from stores, but from adult relatives or acquaintances, the only way to stop teen smoking is to stop teens who are smoking. Therefore, New York must make it illegal for minors to possess and/or use tobacco, as 45 states already do. Memorandum in Support for Underage Possession Law Restore Fairness and Balance to Tobacco Enforcement A.) Establish uniform, statewide standards for tobacco enforcement Oppose
Further Marketing Restrictions on Retailers and Wholesalers • Extension of MSA restrictions to retailers and wholesalers • Confining sales of cigarettes to "tobacco-only" stores • Unwarranted packaging and labeling regulations Home - About NYACS - Trade Show - The Industry - Membership - Contact Us - Issues - Tools
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