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“By quintupling the excise tax on cigarettes in the span of eight years without closing off well-established channels for dodging that tax, New York State government incited today’s all-out epidemic of tax evasion. This ever-widening crisis is crippling legitimate small businesses, squandering desperately needed tax revenue, promoting lawlessness, and thwarting anti-smoking initiatives.”
– James Calvin, President New York Association of Convenience Stores, 2-27-10
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“Restaurants and taverns all across New York are struggling in this recession, but they are paying their fair share of tax dollars. As a simple matter of fairness, the cigarette tax from reservation sales must be collected.”
– Paul Petinatto, President The Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association, 1-26-10
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| New York Newsstand Operators Association |
“Over the last two years New York’s smallest mom and pop businesses and sidewalk newsstands have seen a 50% decrease in the sales of cigarettes. This decline is due in large part to the significant disadvantage that our operators face when compared to the price of untaxed tobacco products on Native American reservations. New York City’s newsstands will continue to lose customers as long as the state refuses to enforce the law and collect the tax that is due on the Native American sales of tobacco products to non-tribal members.”
– Robert Bookman, Counsel of the New York City Newsstand Operators Association, 1-26-10
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“All there is to be said about the issue of tax collections from Native American retailers has been said over the last few years. The legislation and the laws are in place for the State to collect these taxes. It is unfair that this issue remains unresolved and that thousands of small business people throughout the State of New York are hurt by the sale of non-taxed tobacco products. Tobacco products are not only sold on the reservation but are shipped via mail through sales on the internet. On behalf of this organization we wish to petition the Administration to implement the laws of the State of New York fairly.”
– Ralph Bombardiere, Executive Director New York State Association of Service Stations & Repair Shops, 1-26-10
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“Demanding that these taxes be collected now is not only the responsible thing to do to address New York’s fiscal crisis, but it is also the right thing to do for the businesses that are being hurt by non-collection. Allowing these Native American businesses to operate at such an unfair competitive advantage by evading tax collection is simply wrong and fundamentally unfair to small business owners who play by the rules, follow the law and collect the taxes the state requires.”
– Mike Elmendorf, New York State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), 1-26-10
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“In less than two years, thousands of health care jobs and critical health services have been lost to communities across the state as a result of nearly $4 billion in state budget cuts to hospitals, nursing homes and home health care providers. Enforcing the law and collecting the cigarette tax is an essential element in preventing even more job and health care service losses.”
– Daniel Sisto, President Healthcare Association of New York State, 3-1-10
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“At a time when the economic downturn has forced cuts in health care, education, infrastructure and transportation we can no longer delay enforcement of our tax laws. Ensuring that taxes on cigarettes sold by Native American nations are collected will help to create parity in the tax system and establish a more fair and reasonable process for raising revenue. This issue has remained unresolved for far too long,”
– Denis Hughes, President NYS AFL-CIO, 3-1-10
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“Westchester County is struggling with the highest property taxes in America and it needs relief. The last thing our families and businesses need is an even greater tax burden. Before raising taxes again, New York State must collect all the revenue due, and that has to include taxes from tobacco sold through the Native American reservations. It is a simple matter of common sense.”
– Marsha Gordon, President & CEO of Westchester Business Council, 1-27-10
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“Small businesses in New York City and across the State are straining under the weight of the current tax burden. Before these businesses are taxed another dime, the state should collect the taxes owed & due going forward from all parties. This is neither anti-smoking nor anti-Native American; this lack of taxation truly is a loophole that needs to be closed. We need to collect taxes on tobacco products sold on Native American reservations. It is only fair. We cannot afford to ignore this problem anymore.”
– Nancy Ploeger, President Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, 2-2-10
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“New York State has an obligation to collect taxes on all cigarettes, even those sold through Native American reservations. It’s not only the law, it’s the right thing to do. New Yorkers are being asked to pay more in taxes this year, while their services are being reduced. Meanwhile, an estimated billion dollars in tax revenue goes uncollected. It defies logic. It is equally important for cigarette sales to be properly regulated in this state. Retailers across New York State ensure every day that tobacco products are not sold to minors. The same can’t be said about reservation sales. The more one looks at this issue, the clearer it becomes: New York needs to enforce its own laws and collect the tax.”
–John Catsimatidis, Red Apple Group/United Refining, 2-4-10
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“There is no good excuse for ignoring the law on the books requiring New York to collect the cigarette tax from the Native American reservations. It makes even less sense in the current environment when services are at risk and there are not a lot of other good choices.”
–Danny Donohue, President Civil Service Employees Association of New York, 3-1-10
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