FreedomWorks

Dear Senator: 

On behalf of nearly 850,000 FreedomWorks members nationwide, I respectfully urge you to VOTE NO on Senator Gordon Smith’s amendment to the Budget Resolution that would pave the way for a .61 cent per pack tax increase on cigarettes.

This proposed tax increase is being offered under the guise of expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).  The reality is that it is nothing more than window dress for yet another tax hike scheme that will expand government. 

Shamelessly, Senator Smith and other tax-and-spend lawmakers are trying to frame any legislators that oppose this massive tax hike as “voting against kids,” hoping to play politics with this serious issue and scare conservative lawmakers away from their limited-government leanings.

Cigarette taxes are an unstable source of revenue especially as higher prices force smokers to seek cigarettes through cheaper avenues such as Native American reservations or the black market. Small business owners that run convenience stores, gas stations, and local bars, wind up getting hit hardest by the tax. 

If politicians really want to get serious about improving critical elements of our country’s healthcare system they need to remove the red tape and big government regulation that is keeping the market from working in this industry.  It is only through market-based reform that patients will be able to benefit from competition and see prices fall. 

We will count your vote on Senator Smith’s Tax Hike Amendment as a KEY VOTE when calculating the FreedomWorks Economic Scorecard for 2007. The FreedomWorks Economic Scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the Jefferson Award, which recognizes members of Congress with voting records that support economic freedom. 

Sincerely,

Matt Kibbe
President and CEO
FreedomWorks