Pubdate: Fri, 24 December 1999 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 1999 The New York Times Company Contact: http://www.nytimes.com/ Forum: http://www10.nytimes.com/comment/ Author: John Ansaldi, Yorktown Heights TOBACCO TAX ON POOR Ana Marengo of the American Cancer Society says that because of New York State's increase in the cigarette tax, cigarette sales in the state will drop by 7 percent (news analysis, Dec. 18). As a result, she says, the decline in cigarette use will be twice as large among the poor. But this means that poor people who smoke will have an increased tax burden. At 55 cents a pack, a person smoking a pack a day will pay more than $200 a year in additional taxes. New York State has reduced income and property taxes and eliminated the New York City commuter tax -- cuts that greatly benefit middle-class suburbanites like me. I smoke a carton a week, but the additional taxes I pay for cigarettes are more than offset by these tax reductions. Of course, I can avoid the tax increase completely by driving 15 minutes to Connecticut and buying my cigarettes there. - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck