THE NEWEST CIGARETTE TAX HIKE

In the name of full disclosure, I am cigarette vendor. Having said that, Cigarette tax is about the most regressive tax that we have, as most smokers today are less well educated and poorer. Although it says here that the intentions of the tax hike have good intentions, they fail to mention there is already a hidden tax of six hundred billion plus on cigarettes that the state(politicians) have manged to steal and divert to their own pet causes, and the poor pay for this tax (settlement). As the incomes are in decline and the unemployment rates are higher for the less well educated already, that from what I have observed, many people will pay for cigarettes and will have no money left for a treat or even food for their kids, so how are we helping the poor kids, by exposing them to more neglect, if not out right abuse.  yes, I have seen kids treated harshly by  many a frustrated parent that has no money left after paying for their smokes.  What will be more fair is to increase the tax on alcohol ( beer, wine and liquors) by say thirty percent  to replace the tax loss, and snag you  some money from those who can afford it.