How Bloomberg Made NYC a No-Smoking Town
Establish a Minimum Price
This week, obviously as a way to celebrate the bar ban’s 10-year anniversary, Bloomberg has announced a plan to establish a minimum price for cigarettes. Sure, you can levy new taxes all you want, but there are always loopholes, like two-for-one promotions and dollar-off coupons. New York state already requires retailers to mark up cigarettes to prevent them becoming loss leaders for large chains. But this new law would make packs of cigarettes cost, at a minimum, $10.50, making more difficult the cigarette companies’ ability to market cheap tobacco to low-income peoples. [photo]
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