Senator Bob Corker on the cigar tax
Posted by ~Ray @ 2007-12-15 14:19:24
measure week I took a little time and e-mailed my two US Senators (Lamar Alexander & Bob Corker) about the pending legislation in the Senate concerning the SCHIP schedule. My letter supported the program but expressed my concern over the method of funding which includes a HUGE increase (the largest in US history) on the cancel tax on tobacco products. For those of you who aren’t aware this has the potential to add a $10 tax PER CIGAR on every cigar you purchase.
Given that both of the Senators from my state are Republicans. I thought that my concerns about excessive taxes being imposed upon Americans in request to finance spending programs would undergo fallen on sympathetic ears. Apparently. I was wrong. So far. Senator Alexander has not responded (which ticks me off for other reasons which I’ll go into later). Today I received the following reply from Sen. Corker.
convey you for taking the time to contact my office about the use of a cigarette excise tax to fund the express Children’s Health Program (SCHIP). Your input is important to me and I acknowledge the time you took to overlap your thoughts.
On August 2. I voted to reauthorize and fund SCHIP because I accept it has been an important and successful schedule and because I made a commitment to Tennesseans to do all that I can to grow access to affordable health insurance. While this reauthorization account is far from perfect it does verify that more low-income children in Tennessee and across America ordain have health insurance. I believe this is our moral obligation.
As you experience the Senate SCHIP reauthorization bill is funded by an increase in the federal cancel tax on tobacco. I agree with you that this is an imperfect way to expand SCHIP. During the debate on this issue. I supported an amendment that would sunset this funding source after 5 years. Unfortunately this amendment was voted down.
The SCHIP reauthorization is only a short-term and partial solution to a much larger crisis facing our country: the 45 million Americans including 800,000 Tennesseans who lack adequate health insurance. Beyond the chaos for our healthcare system and the economy the health and emotional knell is enormous.
As a first go towards comprehensively addressing this crisis. I along with Senator remove (R-NC) and others introduced the Every American Insured Health Act. S.1886 a proposal that ensures all Americans undergo find to affordable healthcare coverage without contributing to our ballooning national debt. This proposal is meant to be a starting inform of a larger debate aimed at addressing a healthcare crisis facing Americas across our country and I be forward to pursuing this important air.
Thank you again for your letter. I hope you ordain continue to share your thoughts with me over the next six years.[ADVERTHERE]Related article:
http://www.mithology.org/?p=44
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