by Javier Manjarres
With the start of 2011 Legislative session in Tallahassee less than two weeks away, a line in the sand has been drawn by Opa-Locka based cigarette manufacturer Dosal, Inc., regarding a looming tax that ’Big Tobacco’ is encouraging the Florida Legislature to impose on Dosal and other small tobacco companies who were not penalized in the infamous 1998 tobacco settlement that forced larger cigarette makers to pay out billions to the state in smoking-related health-care costs. Dosal, Inc. is a family business that moved to Miami from Cuba in the early1960′s after the rise of Castro. While the bill is rumored to be in the early drafting stage, there is speculation that the tax will be buried within the state budget rather than in free standing tax bill that will undoubtedly be voted down.
Several key legislators have already come out in support of Dosal including Senators Anitere Flores, (R)-Miami; Rene Garcia, (R)-Hialeah; Miguel Diaz De La Portilla, (R)-Miami and Representative Esteban Bovo, Jr, (R)-Hialeah.
“It is unfair and flat out wrong to punish Dosal for something they did not do. Dosal was excluded from the big Tobacco lawsuits because they did not participate in the practice that got others in trouble. To come now after the fact and force the company to pay for the sins of others is something that the Hispanic Caucus will not support.” -Rep. Esteban Bovo, Chairman- Hispanic Caucus
Senate President Mike Haridopolos recently commented regarding this matter that, “some people have said that if businesses are in competition, everyone should pay the same tax rate.” However, this is very curious statement from Haridopolos, a known fiscal hawk as well as a U.S. Senate candidate in 2012. During Governor Rick Scott’s historic run for Governor in 2010, Scott ran pro-growth/lower taxes platform, and yet the Governor has not yet taken a position on this specific tax increase- a tax increase which if levied on Dosal and other smaller cigarette makers would force these business(s) to potentially shutdown and lay-off hundreds of employees- not something Governor Scott would want to occur on his watch.
I visited the Dosal Inc. headquarters in Opa-Locka and visited with its CEO, Yoland R. Nader. Nadar agreed to go on the record and speak in more detail about the issue her company is facing.
14 Responses to “Dosal Lights Up Against ‘Big Tobacco’s’ Tax”
They have practiced selling a product that kills it’s customers. What would happen if someone sold cupcakes with heavy metals like arsenic, chemicals that changed the brain, and immediately changed the cardiovascular system? Would they be supported in selling such a product? If Dosal is going to sell carcinogens that Floridians will have to pay for in the form of Medicaid/Medicare, then there is no reason that it’s “not fair” for them to pay into the settlement. What’s “not fair” is for Floridians to pick up the tab for tobacco users with no support from the companies who cause the millions of dollars of health damages each year.
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People who smoke cause their own health problems. I gave up smoking in 1964 because I wanted to be alive for my children and grandchildren, but that was my choice. If you choose to smoke than you choose to get what ever happens to smokers. Why penalize the tobacco company for what you do. Like all thing in life, if you use it, you are responsible. Let the buyer beware but don’t overtax the company and put people out of work. If I can stop smoking two packs a day cold turkey, so can you!!!
Like Life Insurance, you should have to pay higher premiums if you choose to smoke.
And if you cannot afford it, then how can you afford to smoke?
I smoke. My financial contribution to the city, state and federal governments are way above what non-smokers pay. I wish the government would make cigarettes illegal. Then I would love to sit back and listen to the complaining about the lost tax revenue that must be made up in the form of higher taxes for everyone. What a laugh that would be. Then I would like to see the federal government tell the American public that Social Security benefits just took another hit because now the use to be smokers were living longer and thus taking more of their SS checks. I don’t want to hear about how much the tax payer payes for increased healthcare for smokers. The math has been done and guess what? Government paid healthcare for smokers is way behind the revenue generated by smokers. Let’s all push for the government to outlaw all forms of smoking that is know to cause deaths. Government only wants our money and as much control as they can get. Do not be fooled by anything else.
I quit smoking last December…COLD TURKEY..without a patch or any other crutch. I just was angry about all the taxes put on a carton of cigarettes…and THAT IS UNFAIR!
All the taxes are just another way to get money for the government/states to spend on some of their pet projects.
I would just like to see Tobacco companies refuse to sell their products in Florida and/Illinois and some of the other states…and see how long it would take until those States wouldn’t have the money to spend and would resend those tax dollars…that …IMHO is just why cigarettes are being taxed..just to get more $$$ to spend somewhere else.
It is discrimination against smokers…and I know many, many people who have died of lung cancer..who NEVER SMOKED…and don’t come out with SECOND-HAND SMOKE…that’s balony just like Global Warming and now Climate Change…Is Gore somewhere in some snow bank hiding??? lol
The law suit was not just for smoking but for lying to the public about the dangers. I don’t see that Dosal was ever guilty of this, so are they guilty of adding extra chemicals like Al Gore and BIG Tobbacco did. I seriously doubt it. There always have to be a group of people to demean or belittle or treat as lesser class citizens by the small minded uneducated masses. Whether its color, race, sex or religion, today its politically correct to attack smokers. Who will it be tomorrow? Maybe YOU!
@ prevention-
What you conveniently omit is that those people who smoked did so willingly, and assumed the risk of doing so. The federal and state governments successfully played the blame game against the tobacco manufacturers with the majority of the public’s support. Tobacco can lead to cancer, to say that it “kills” in the same way that more potent poisons such as arsenic do instantaneously is highly misleading. The real losers in the tobacco litigation were the taxpayers, cigarette consumers, small businesses, and anyone that is concerned about unchecked government power. The states and federal government were simply looking to refill their coffers at the tobacco companies’ expense, and they still do so with the obscene taxes that they levy on cigarettes.
90% of new smokers ARE CHILDREN so, your reasoning is flawed. Someone who is 11 or 14 does not have the developmental ability to use foresight, judgement, weigh pros and cons, and sort out attractive advertisements from the truth. Besides that, tobacco companies intentionally target youth with candy flavored tobacco products. Snus and candy flavored cigars are examples of this. The new gateway into smoking is hookah usage. Youth who hookah on the weekends smoke the equivalet of 5 or more packs of cigarettes. Therefore, they will continue to smoke during the week by ‘bumming’ cigarettes from others. Tobacco use is a huge problem that ends in disease and death and Dosal knows it as do all other tobacco companies.
The Hispanic Caucus is absolutely right. The Big Tobacco companies agreed to a settlement from a lawsuit that contended they falsely advertised their products. That settlement reuired them to pay money to the state. Dosal was not a party to that lawsuit because the DID NOT falsely advertise! It is patently unfair to now require an non-party to pay a penalty (as a tax rather than a settlement) just to take away their price advantage over the guilty Big Tobacco companies. And this is NOT about revenue or punishing cigarette makers — its about Big Tobacco losing market share! This “tax” is CRONY CAPITALISM!
@ Prevention – Selling cigarettes to those under 18 is ILLEGAL IN FLORIDA. I don’t care whom tobacco companies target. They CANNOT SELL CIGARETTES TO YOUTH IN FLORIDA.
More importantly, you have not backed up your accusations against Dosal (that they should suffer for something they did not do), and really, I’d like to see you do that, rather than change the subject.
What you consume is your business, not the gov’t's. There are FAR worse issues concerning the state our country is in. Smoking should be the least of your worries. That including taxing anything tabacco. Hell, if you want that, then tax the hell out of alcohol, fast food, and everything else that’s bad for you. Pfft, Nanny statists.
I guess personal responsibility never factored in with these people. Figures.
Alcohol does more damage, ruins more lives, and costs the government more money than cigarettes ever thought of. If the health nazis are so concerned with our well-being , then they should tax the hell out of everything that might be harmful to us and quit singling out smokers. I for one, am sick of it.