Rockingham Tobacco Outlet clerk Bob Shepard said he sees the exact opposite from his customers.
“It’s a 99.9 percent ‘No’ to raising any taxes from our customers,” he said. “We don’t need anymore taxes on cigarettes, and it could lead to the loss of 117,000 jobs in North Carolina.”
He noted there are people who work in manufacturing tobacco products, delivering them and selling them, and tobacco also supports retail.
“There are many ways to raise taxes without singling out a legal product that’s been sold in this state for over 200 years ... You look at the liquor and alcohol industry, it’s unfair to keep raising taxes on cigarettes while the liquor and beer distributors have been given a free ride,” he said.
“You look at the insurance costs at our hospitals, and I guarantee you alcohol abuse accounts for just as much money, and I’m not even going to get into the crime side of it. How many people do you know that have been killed at 12 o’clock at night because somebody smoking a cigarette crashed into them?”
Tobacco Outlet customer Walter Owens doesn’t smoke cigarettes, but he believes if there ever were a time to suppress taxes, it’s now.”
“There are other things out there that they could be raising taxes on instead of tobacco,” he said. “North Carolina was a self-supported state by three things: tobacco, textiles and moonshine. All three of those things are gone.”
Shepard added furniture to the list, and Owens noted seasonal revenues from tourism are not the answer to the state’s income problems.
“If they want to kill tobacco, go ahead and kill it. I don’t like watching it die slowly,” Owens said. “I don’t know why, but someone decided to go against tobacco, and I think they need to spread out these taxes, and not just focus on one industry that has supported North Carolinians for so long.”
The same poll found 51 percent of North Carolinians support the economic stimulus package, and 54 percent believe it will strengthen the nation’s economy.
However, just 32 percent expect the national economy to improve, and less than a third, 29 percent, expect economic improvement for the state.
Those surveyed also reported support for increasing taxes on beer, liquor and wine. The support for a cigarette tax hike comes despite concerns from the tobacco industry that sustains about 65,000 jobs in North Carolina — the nation’s largest tobacco-producing state.
Poll director Hunter Bacot said the so-called “sin taxes” generally see higher support than others because they affect a select group of people. He said that support appears to be growing as the economy worsens.
“People realize that something has to be done, but they’re willing to let other people do it before they themselves have to sacrifice,” Bacot said, adding that he is a smoker. “They’re saying ’Go there first.”’
Federal health officials report that about 22.9 percent of North Carolina adults were smokers in 2007. Fittingly, the poll found that 22.7 percent of respondents objected to the cigarette tax increase.
Respondents widely opposed raising sales taxes, income taxes and gas taxes.
Tobacco supporters already suffered a blow earlier this month, when President Barack Obama signed a law that increased the federal tax on a pack of cigarettes from 39 cents to $1 to help fund an expansion of a children’s health insurance program. North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, voted for the measure despite personal qualms with the tax. Republican Sen. Richard Burr voted against it.
At 35 cents, North Carolina’s tax on cigarettes is still comparatively low. Freddy Hardison is a non-smoker who stopped in J.C.’s for other items.
“I support it,” he said. “It would help out on other situations. That way, they wouldn’t have to raise other taxes.”
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