Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, appearing in a television interview, said he was open to taxing other forms of tobacco such as chewing tobacco and cigars in order to generate much-needed revenue for the state.
Gov. David Paterson has proposed adding $1 to the existing tax on cigarettes. Along with Democratic lawmakers, the governor is also in favor of the long-desired plan to collect taxes on cigarettes sold at American Indian reservations purchased by non-tribal citizens (although the governor believes the windfall from the reservation cigarettes is not nearly as much as what Senate Finance Chairman Carl Kruger, D-Brooklyn, predicts).
All this has Senate Republicans in an uproar. The lawmakers are opposed to any new taxes, fees and borrowing in order to plug a $9.2 billion deficit. Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, said in a statement that the tobacco talk is a sign the budget, which was due on April 1, will be balanced with taxes.
“As they continue to put the finishing touches on the spending part of the budget, New Yorkers should prepare for a budget that will wind up costing them more in taxes,” Skelos said.
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