For "Smoke Smart" store manager Rachel Fleming, the news out of the North Carolina state house isn't a surprise.
"We had a feeling it was going to happen sooner or later," Fleming said. "Not that we wanted it to happen."
The state House of Representatives is giving preliminary approval to a new tax for electronic cigarettes or "e-cigs."
"I don't agree with it but the government's pretty much going do what they want to do," Fleming said. "So if they want to tax it, they're going to tax it."
The plan is to tax the nicotine containing liquid used in "e-cigs" by five cents per milliliter.
"E-cigs" are becoming the popular alternative to cigarettes because they eliminate the smell and replace the smoke with less harmful vapor, and because of that, some traditional smokers like David Crandol say "e-cig" smokers should be taxed like him.
"For smokers like me that can't smoke in every day places, we pay taxes on our cigarettes and people that can smoke an electronic cigarette, you can smoke them anywhere so it's only fair," Crandol said.
Others like Mike Croford point to the potential benefits of e-cigarettes as an alternative to traditional cigarettes.
"I think a lot of people use e-cigarettes to wean them off regular cigarettes," Croford said. "Taxing the e-cigarettes, they're just going to go back to smoking regular cigarettes."
Which is why Fleming doesn't expect her business to suffer even if the tax is passed.
"If customers really come, they really want to try to quit smokers, and they're serious about it, they'll keep coming in," Fleming said. "I don't think it will affect business too much."
A final vote is expected for Wednesday. If it passes, it will go to the Senate.
A final vote is expected for Wednesday. If it passes, it will go to the Senate.
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