More on magical cigarette tax

We heard a lot earlier this year about how great things would be if we only raised the cigarette tax in Kentucky.

The Lexington Herald Leader continues the charade today with an editorial comparing us, unfavorably, to Massachusetts:

"Kentucky has fewer teachers than a year ago. Massachusetts has fewer smokers."

"Why, you ask, would these two items show up in the same thought?"

"Here's why: The legislature in Massachusetts is driving the decline in smoking by, among other things, raising the cigarette tax."

"The legislature in Kentucky is driving the decline in the education work force by not raising the cigarette tax."

The same editorial also repeats the fantasy that the tax increase would have "raised more than $200 million". They really need to have a talk with cigarette retailers along our borders with other states about the real impact on net tax revenues caused by a cigarette tax increase.