Most people that don't smoke think that cigarette taxes will have no impact on their lives. Well, consider this. For the past several years, states have been chomping at the bit to institute a tax on goods sold over the internet. However, States are currently prevented from taxing across state lines by federal law. Congress revisits the issue every few years and renews the moratorium on internet taxation.

Now think about the prohibitive local sales taxes on cigarettes that have been on the rise lately. The behavior modification taxes have already resulted in more and more smokers shopping for mail order cigarettes on the internet. How long before the States start pressuring the federal government to let them do something about the cigarette tax revenue they are losing via mail order and internet sales? Now, how big is the leap between lost cigarette tax revenue and lost sales tax revenue?

Remember folks, you heard it here first.