New York Cigarette Tax Drives Up Smuggling

By Kristina Peters, Associate Editor, CSP

NEW YORK — New York’s high taxes on tobacco products have led to an explosion in cigarette smuggling, according to a national survey by the Tax Foundation. And it’s taking a toll on retailers.

“What’s going on now is costing legitimate licensed retailers and wholesalers billions of dollars in sales,” James Calvin, director of the New York State Association of Convenience Stores, told The (Oneonta, N.Y.) Daily Star.