Cigarette Tax Press Conference

TODAY at 11:00 on the steps of City Hall, State Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx), City Councilman Oliver Koppell (D- Bronx) and other elected officials will call for the enforcement of cigarette taxes against Native American retailers before any new increases in the levy (as proposed by Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg). Representatives from bodegas, green grocers and convenience stores will join with the elected officials to point out how raising the levy without this enforcement will only transfer business from their legitimate, tax-paying establishments to Indian reservations that are known to supply the black market. A full release can be found here.