Oregon City Supports Statewide Ban on Flavored Tobacco Products
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News
Statement from Donald Distasio on NY Tobacco Taxes
October 27, 2009
NEWS
from the American Cancer Society
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 27, 2009
COLLECTING THE TOBACCO TAX WILL SAVE LIVES, GENERATE NEEDED DOLLARS
Statement from Donald Distasio, CEO, American Cancer Society of NY & NJ,
regarding NYS Senate public hearing on tobacco tax evasion on Indian reservations.
“It’s a simple formula – the higher the cost of cigarettes, the more people who will quit smoking. But if there’s a way to avoid paying a higher cost, people will. Access to less costly, tax-free cigarettes through Indian retailers is keeping more than 100,000 New Yorkers addicted to a killer.
How bad does New York’s fiscal situation need to get before state officials assert the authority the U.S. Supreme Court granted them 15 years ago to collect the tax on tobacco sales made on Indian reservations? Already, there are uninsured men and women who can’t get cancer screenings due to budget cuts, with more cuts threatened. The dollars being lost to tax evasion could literally be a lifesaver for thousands – if they were collected.
This hearing is a start, but we’ve had false starts on this matter before. Governor Paterson and the Legislature must collect these taxes now, so New Yorkers can lead healthier lives that cost less. Every minute of hesitation means another minute tobacco smoke is ravaging someone’s health.”
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About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
