UPS accused by New York of illegal cigarette shipments

[HEFFERNAN]

Well yea, who do you think has more money to pay the fines?

YUP, Totally agree
There has got to be a disclaimer somewhere that the shipper can not ship items deemed illegal.
UPS can't play mall cop and question shippers, we should contact the Feds and let them deal with it.
If the Mob is involved and a driver refuses to pick up or questions what's inside, he may end up with concrete shoes.
Dangerous precedent. If some idiot wants to ship marijuana, we don't open boxes. The drug dogs sniff it and the Feds take over.
You don't wait for 78,500 shipments and then blame and sue us for it.

 

[Packmule]

Guess I better start bringing a box cutter to work everyday!

 

[Lead Belly]

I'm worried about him too, haven't seen old I around for a while

If he never comes back it will be to soon.

 

[Babagounj]

Anyone recall the Beer of the month parcels ?
Seems that they had a return address for a soap company .

 

[worldwide]

YUP, Totally agree
There has got to be a disclaimer somewhere that the shipper can not ship items deemed illegal.
UPS can't play mall cop and question shippers, we should contact the Feds and let them deal with it.
If the Mob is involved and a driver refuses to pick up or questions what's inside, he may end up with concrete shoes.
Dangerous precedent. If some idiot wants to ship marijuana, we don't open boxes. The drug dogs sniff it and the Feds take over.
You don't wait for 78,500 shipments and then blame and sue us for it.

http://www.ups.com/tobacco?srch_pos=1&srch_phr=tobacco

The rules are clearly stated.

The government wants UPS to be one of their agents to enforce their tax rules. UPS cannot control if a person or firm willfully breaks the laws. Occasionally a package smells so bad that its obvious what is inside and UPS can report it to the proper authorities.

This is simply a money-grab by the government - they know UPS has deep pockets and will eventually settle.

 

[oldngray]

I guess NYC is trying to recover the money it lost when cops stopped cracking down on people selling illegal cigarettes on the street.

 

[worldwide]

Sound like a repeat story .
Ten years ago it was shipments from Indian Reservations containing smokes .

Yep, good 'ole Elliot Spitzer rode in on his high horse in 2005 to save the world and punish UPS. UPS not only stopped delivering cigarettes to NY, but nationwide. A few years later, this pompous windbag would feel the wrath of karma.

According to published reports, investigators believe Spitzer paid up to $80,000 for prostitutes over a period of several years while he was Attorney General, and later as Governor. Spitzer first drew the attention of federal investigators when his bank reported suspicious money transfers under the anti-money laundering provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act and the Patriot Act. The resulting investigation, triggered by the belief that Spitzer may have been hiding bribe proceeds, led to the discovery of the prostitution ring. The scandal prompted him to resign as Governor in March 2008.

The agreement does not prohibit UPS from making lawful shipments of cigarettes to licensed tobacco businesses and other authorized recipients. The feds now want UPS to be their police and do their job of actually enforcing the laws.

Somehow, the USPS can still continue to deliver cigarettes but they don't get any "perks" from being a quasi-government agency, do they?

 

[SignificantOwner]

Well yea, who do you think has more money to pay the fines?

And who has a PAC?

 

[soberups]

Perhaps if New York brought their cigarette taxes down to something approaching sanity, there wouldn't be a black market for untaxed smokes.

I don't smoke and I don't live in New York, but I have a real problem with the idea of an overbearing, nanny-state government imposing an absolutely ridiculous tax on a minority who don't have the votes to protect themselves from it. That isn't democracy, it is tyranny. It makes about as much sense as Emperor Bloomberg outlawing 32 ounce cups of soda pop in NYC. Is this really the role we want government to play in our lives?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I support user taxes.

Why should I have to pay for their eventual healthcare issues due to smoking or obesity?

 

[MyTripisCut]

Because we all die of something eventually mr upstate.

 

[cosmo1]

I support user taxes.

Why should I have to pay for their eventual healthcare issues due to smoking or obesity?

You are sorely mistaken if you think any of those tobacco taxes are going toward health care for smokers.

 

[MyTripisCut]

Sorry to derail here but I guess no one has lung cancer or is obese in NYC because of these taxes?

 

[PT Car Washer]

Perhaps if New York brought their cigarette taxes down to something approaching sanity, there wouldn't be a black market for untaxed smokes.

I don't smoke and I don't live in New York, but I have a real problem with the idea of an overbearing, nanny-state government imposing an absolutely ridiculous tax on a minority who don't have the votes to protect themselves from it. That isn't democracy, it is tyranny. It makes about as much sense as Emperor Bloomberg outlawing 32 ounce cups of soda pop in NYC. Is this really the role we want government to play in our lives?

I thought the high taxes were to discourage consumption. Unfortunately it is an unfair tax as it hurts the poor much more then the wealthy.

 

[cosmo1]

I thought the high taxes were to discourage consumption. Unfortunately it is an unfair tax as it hurts the poor much more then the wealthy.

And, that's the way sin taxes work.

 

[PT Car Washer]

And, that's the way sin taxes work.

Paid plenty in my day. Best thing I ever did was give up the cigs 10 years ago.

 

[soberups]

I support user taxes.

Why should I have to pay for their eventual healthcare issues due to smoking or obesity?

So is the entire tax that New York is collecting on cigarettes being earmarked solely for the increased healthcare costs of smokers?

Or are New York smokers simply a convenient cash cow for an overbearing nanny state to milk dry in order to enrich the general fund?

 

[FrigidAdCorrector]

Sorry to derail here but I guess no one has lung cancer or is obese in NYC because of these taxes?

Anybody who says it's a healthy city has never been to a Rangers game.

I thought the high taxes were to discourage consumption. Unfortunately it is an unfair tax as it hurts the poor much more then the wealthy.

They like to play it off as such. But they love the $$$ more.

 

[bbsam]

So is the entire tax that New York is collecting on cigarettes being earmarked solely for the increased healthcare costs of smokers?

Or are New York smokers simply a convenient cash cow for an overbearing nanny state to milk dry in order to enrich the general fund?

Smokers are free to quit. It's a "sin tax". Call it tyranny if you want, but it's well rooted in American history.

 

[rod]

I thought the high taxes were to discourage consumption. Unfortunately it is an unfair tax as it hurts the poor much more then the wealthy.

From what I've witnessed it don't seem to hurt the poor much. Every "poor" person I see seems to have a cig hanging off their lips. I was in Walgrens the other day and the young gal in front of me laid a thing of cough medicine down and had the clerk get her 2 packages of American Sprit cigarettes. She only had enough money for 2 of the three items. Guess which two she kept.