[It's kind of a gangster turf war ... Bloomberg and his pick pocket gang against the smugglers.]


"MIKE: SMOKE OUT CIG-TAX DODGERS


By KENNETH LOVETT

January 20, 2004 -- EXCLUSIVE

ALBANY - New Yorkers can earn cash rewards for ratting out bodegas, groceries and individuals selling bootlegged cigarettes if a bill supported by Mayor Bloomberg wins approval.

Under the bill, the city would give a "suitable" reward to anyone who provides information that leads to the detection of violations of the cigarette tax.

Under the legislation, a person "generally" could receive up to 15 percent of the owed taxes that are eventually collected, meaning someone responsible for a bust leading to $1 million in tax collections could reap a $150,000 reward.

City and state officials believe more people are turning to bootlegged cigarettes after the city and state dramatically increased their cigarette taxes two years ago.

They see the new law as "a valuable enforcement tool."

"Revenue, revenue, revenue," said the Senate bill's sponsor, Frank Padavan (R-Queens), on the intent of the bill."

NEW YORK POST

If this f-tard did not raise taxes to such a ludicrous level - none of this would be necessary! I wonder how much more the tax has cost the NYPD to enforce it.

This only makes the obvious more obvious: that a majority may not smoke but there is no majority willing to spend a few minutes on the phone snitching because there is no majority who really think violating the bans is worse than jaywalking (also illegal in NYC).

As a rule, the average person is not a tattle-tale...

Because most of the enforcement action of these bans is complaint based if they get no complaints they can claim 100% compliance.

They are claiming nearly that in Delaware, yet I personally know of at least 25 establishments that aren't. And that is only in a small area of the state. Of course the southern part of Delaware is far more conservative than the northern part, which has been totally infected by that north-east nanny state attitude.

I should change my signature to something like I'm escaping the nanny government.

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Smoke gnatzies: small minds buzzing in you business - SWAT'EM