CONCORD – Owners of grocery, convenience and wine specialty stores urged lawmakers Tuesday to reject proposed increases in the state tax on cigarettes and cutting the discount given to retail wine sellers.Instead, they suggested keeping the discount cigarettes tax low to lure more out-of-state smokers and keeping the wine discount but having the state Liquor Commission raise its own wholesale prices by 3 percent.Gov. John Lynch's proposal to erase an estimated $225 million revenue shortfall between now and June 30, 2009, got a chilly reception before the House Finance Committee.Lynch is seeking the third cigarette tax hike in four years – 25 cents a pack to raise $22 million a year. The governor's plan to cut the discount from 20 percent to 10 percent for wine retailers who buy at a state warehouse would raise $10 million.The proposal cuts the discount given to retailers who buy their wine at state liquor stores from 15 percent to zero.

Last month, Tennessee reported that cigarette tax collections are $47 million less than expected for the year after lawmakers raised the per-pack tax by 42 cents in July to 62 cents.New Jersey has reported collecting $23''million less in cigarette tax revenue than before the state's latest increase. Arizona, Maine and South Dakota also report budget shortfalls after raising the cigarette tax.In short, states are beginning to realize that there is a point of diminishing returns. How can Florida lawmakers support such a huge tax increase and claim that $1 billion will be collected to pay for Medicaid and health research when the recent experience in five states is proof positive that a cheap cigarettes tax hike will not result in raising the kind of money these legislators expect?The explanation is quite simple. Smokers don't necessarily quit but drive to a state with lower taxes, order cigarettes over the Internet, or buy from black market dealers. The real losers will be the hard-working Florida retailers, and ironically, the state as well, because potential tax revenue will evaporate.

Central High SchoolТs perimeter and lower parking lot are popular gathering spots for teens to light up. One teenager said younger buy camel crowds know that from 30 Road to Palisade theyТre not likely to be reprimanded. Palisade is known to the teenagers as a place where officers will approach them if they have buy cheap camel, students at Central said.УPeople are still going to smoke,Ф said Thomas Moore, 17, who was smoking near Central High School after school hours.УItТs just a way to get more money,Ф said Jarren Storey, 16, who attends Central High School. УThatТs just another rule to break. WeТre teenagers. What do you expect? I think we should get a say in it but we wonТt because weТre teenagers and we donТt know whatТs best for us.Ф

In Mesa County District 51, it would mean the before-, after-, and during-lunch buy camel online crowds that often line the outskirts of some school perimeters would dispersed. But it likely wonТt stop the ones who were lighting up at lunchtime Wednesday as soon as their car doors slammed shut at Palisade High School, as they fled far off campus to avoid consequences students say are becoming more common from the high school.Don Bean slammed the hood of his stepdaughterТs white compact car shut as he finished up a cigarette while trying to fix the teenagerТs car.УThatТs between her, and her mother and I,Ф Bean said of whether his stepdaughter should be able to smoke. УThat just makes one more step of government being in my house. I donТt know how others feel, but there are already a lot of things theyТre saying are wrong. When you make them come out here and smoke, they ditch too,Ф he said pointing toward the area of Central High School where smoking teens gather.His stepdaughter, Alura Garcia, 17, said her parents know that she smokes.УI think (the bill) is going to push more kids to drop out and quit school altogether,Ф Garcia said of the legislation. УItТs just going to clog up the court system even more than it already is.Ф