The fine stogie-loving citizens of  Pennsylvania can rest easy as proposals to tax cigars have all but been vetoed right from the voting table. Lawmakers have tabled the legislation outlining a 30% increase on cigars and other tobacco products, and we hope this issue is tabled for good.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

In the midst of tight economic times many states are ushering in new or heftier tax increases on tobacco in the hopes of filling gaping holes left in budgets. It’s an easy target, and one that too many cigar aficionados out there are forced to pay up in the name of enjoying one of the world’s most common pastimes. Pennsylvania itself is struggling to recover a missing $1.2 billion budget cash crunch. Still, it’s our take that lawmakers and politicians can find additional revenue streams rather than cashing in on tobacco crops.

Safe for now, Pennsylvania residents can still proudly call their cigar purchases tax-free. The reader may be interested to know that the so-called Keystone State is in fact one of only two states in the U.S. that does not tax cigars, claiming this other title with Florida. Pennsylvania: synonymous with liberty, freedom, and no-cigar tax. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.