Archive for January 30th, 2010

Mood of America Says No New Taxes in Utah, Reminds Premium Cigar Group

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

TransWorldNews

Voters Prefer Delivering on Campaign Promises
Salt Lake City, Utah 1/29/2010 02:27 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)

IPCPRAs Utah legislators contemplate raising taxes on tobacco products, the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association is reminding them that voters across the board are against new taxes and in favor of delivering on campaign promises.

Some Utah state representatives and senators are talking about new tobacco taxes even as Governor Gary Herbert has proclaimed that there shall be no new taxes of any kind.  The IPCPR, a non-profit association of some 2,000 retail tobacconists and manufacturers and distributors of premium cigars, pipes, tobaccos and related accessories, called this the kind of “disconnect” that is leading to voter revolts across America.

“Utah voters are among the most savvy in the country,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.  “They know when they are being led down a primrose path intentionally or otherwise by their legislators who say one thing and do another.  And, when legislators do what the voters don’t want done, new, more responsive legislators are elected by those voters.”

McCalla said it was important for Utah legislators to realize that the reasons they have been given by anti-tobacco groups to call for across the board tax increases on all tobacco products reflect the misguided conclusions of poorly informed special interest groups.

“First, the governor said ‘no new taxes of any kind’.  Increased tobacco taxes would bring a burden of higher costs and broken promises to nearly 10 percent of the Utah adult population that smokes, most of whom will simply buy their tobacco online or out of state to avoid paying these new taxes.

“Second, not all tobacco products are the same.  Premium cigars and pipes are different from, say, cigarettes in that they are discretionary products enjoyed only occasionally like a fine wine or single-malt scotch.  As a result, they should be taxed differently.”

McCalla suggested that the current 35 percent excise tax on tobacco products other than cigarettes could be replaced by a 50 cent tax cap per hand-made cigar. He said such a tax  is generating positive results in five other states, including Oregon, Washington, Rhode Island, Iowa and Wisconsin.

“Third, human behavior can’t be legislated.  Some lawmakers say increased tobacco taxes will prevent youths from smoking. That would be throwing the baby out with the bath water.  Our IPCPR retail members are adamantly diligent about selling their products only to age-appropriate adult customers.  For other retailers, there are plenty of laws on the books that, enforced properly, will accomplish that same objective. Besides, those neo-prohibitionists who make unsubstantiated claims of youth smoking are basing their estimates on overly vivid imaginations.”

McCalla urged Utah legislators to drop their consideration of “job-killing higher tobacco taxes that will actually result in lower tax revenues because people will find ways to avoid paying those new taxes.”

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tony@tortoricipr.com
www.ipcpr.org

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Council discusses cigar shop proposal

Saturday, January 30th, 2010
Camarillo Acorn
Pepperdine students want to open store by next year
By Jeffrey Dransfeldt jdransfeldt@theacorn.com
January 29, 2010

Adam Wall envisions a place where people can escape the stresses of work with a fine cigar and a good cup of coffee.

Wall and his business partner, Nathan Welch, are working to make that dream a reality. They hope to open a cigar shop in Camarillo this year.

The two entrepreneurs, seniors at Pepperdine University, attended the Jan. 13 Camarillo City Council meeting to see if their proposed business would be compatible with city guidelines.

Before the meeting they met with City Manager Jerry Bankston, who provided them with information on Camarillo’s smoking ordinance.

The ordinance covers indoor smoking prohibitions and is being expanded to address smoking outdoors as well. Camarillo’s proposed changes would require individuals to smoke at least 25 feet away from a place of business, which is 5 feet farther away than the state’s requirement concerning smoking outside public buildings.

Councilmember Mike Morgan is willing to work with the pair to allow them to operate the cigar lounge within city guidelines.

“I think if they have a ventilation system and purifier (it could work),” Morgan said, adding, “They have their rights as long as it doesn’t impact anyone else.”

The proposal for the store came up during the study session at the council meeting.

City Councilmember Charlotte Craven focused on ventilation and whether the business would share adjoining walls with other businesses or be a stand-alone structure. The possibility of an enclosed smoking room inside the lounge with its own ventilation was also brought up.

Mayor Kevin Kildee reserved comment, and Morgan declined to go into too much detail until more discussion on the proposed changes to the city’s smoking ordinance takes place at the next council meeting.

“As a general rule, the city supports business owners and tries to be flexible with the many constraints we deal with, such as balancing business with the issue of secondhand smoke,” Assistant City Manager Bruce Feng said.

Other cities have made allowances for businesses that sell tobacco products. Moorpark revised its smoking ordinance in July, exempting tobacco distributors, retail tobacco stores and similar types of businesses from strict smoking bans.

Wall sees Camarillo, specifically the Old Town section, as an ideal location for the cigar lounge. It would allow people to go shopping, eat out and stop by the lounge at the end of the evening, he said.

The Newbury Park native envisions the lounge as a “classy place where people can gather and have good social interaction.”

He said Camarillo has the right demographics for a successful business. Wall described a potential patron as “somebody who is looking to get away from the work world and relax for a little while.”

He also indicated there could be interest from students at California State University Channel Islands.

Wall hopes to open in the fall, if everything goes smoothly. He and Welch have their business plan in place and are starting to look for investors.

“If all goes well, we’re hoping to open by September,” Wall said. “That would be nice, before the next holiday season.”

The two friends wrote a letter to the Camarillo City Council addressing their thoughts concerning the smoking ordinance.

In part, the letter made a distinction between cigarette smokers and cigar and pipe smokers, saying, “Cigar and pipe smokers are not compelled by addiction to smoke around those who are not smokers.”

And it maintained that less litter results from people who smoke pipes and cigars relative to cigarette smokers.

The memorandum also referenced two local cigar companies, Old Oaks Cigar Company and The Cigar Zone, both in Thousand Oaks.

Wall said he believes lounge customers would abide by the proposed ordinance change and only smoke inside the lounge and not right outside the store.

“I think the people (of Camarillo) have a high enough stature that they would respect that,” Wall said.

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Post-Avatar ratings

Saturday, January 30th, 2010

Colorado Statesman

1/29/2010

There’s an amazing synchronicity in the timing of the release of Avatar and the election of Scott Brown to the vacant Massachusetts’­­ Senate seat. Senator-elect Brown’s win may portend the death of health care legislation, which means that we are left with the status quo — a system where private insurance companies are essentially free to call their own shots regarding coverage without the meddling of government rules, regulations and requirements.

Similarly, Avatar seems to have engendered a debate regarding government meddling versus self-regulation in the film business. Just like the insurance industry, film ratings (and thus who is allowed to receive film coverage and who gets left out on the sidewalk) are a matter of self-policing. And, just like the complaints about health care, people are wondering if Hollywood’s self-regulation is working given the release of Avatar.

So far, Hollywood has rebuffed efforts by the government to tinker with its rating system, even though, like health care, the rating system is subject to loads of criticism as to its fairness and effectiveness. But, with the release of Avatar and the critiques it has received, maybe we will see some reforms to the rating system.

That is, in addition to the current G, PG, PG-13, R, and NC-17 ratings, Avatar could engender the following new, additional ratings so as to voluntarily avoid government interference:


No one who is offended by tobacco shall be admitted. The film may contain characters who smoke cigarettes, including “tough as nails” scientists played by Sigourney Weaver; however, pipe smoking, by characters like Sherlock Holmes, shall be exempt and not be subject to this rating. Nebraskans are also exempt.


Those who are offended by depictions of respect for the environment or suggestions that the natural world may possess spiritual meaning for humans or humanoid species (e.g., paganism) must be accompanied by a Christian or someone who does not harbor such beliefs; this rating shall be affixed even if the film depicts that the “soul” of humans or humanoid species are simply transfigured into the natural realm as this treads
dangerously close to paganism, even though there is no outright paganism involved, but animals are respected.


This film may contain sex and gender issues that may offend some viewers. The film may contain depictions of sexual differences between males and females whereby even though the females are depicted as strong, smart, and capable, they may still be depicted as females, which may offend some viewers — especially as some males are depicted as physically bigger. In addition, the film may lack depictions of the full range of gender and sexual identities, such as homosexuality, transvestitism, cross-dressing, even the lack of visible genitalia. Nevertheless, such depictions should not be construed as “preexisting” conditions.


Those offended by situations involving imperialistic actions will be allowed admittance only when accompanied by someone who propounds a “neo-con” philosophy in order to provide the requisite alternative perspective.


Not to be confused with the former “M for mature” rating, this rating stands for “militarism” in that the film depicts a stereotypical militaristic mindset where armed forces are happily deployed by and subject to the whims of nefarious influences. “M-18” means that no one over the required age of military service is allowed to question the motivations of such military depictions, even if those military actions might be conducted under false pretenses.


No one who is an employee of a large corporation may be admitted unless that person is ready to be subjected to the depiction of heartless business interests that seek profit over all other values, including environmental or humanistic (or alien species) interests. If after viewing the film despite this warning, a patron who is offended may invoke their recently recognized First Amendment rights and have the corporation who they work for lobby governmental entities to censor or edit the film to conform to depictions of their corporation’s interests in the best possible light.


Not only are all ages admitted, but all ages are required to gain admission in order to help make this film, King of the World!

Doug Young is The Statesman’s outstanding film critic. He works for U.S. Sen. Mark Udall as an environmental policy advisor.

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