We learned that prohibition didn’t work as planned but the idea of taxing behavior that we want to discourage is an accepted thing. But when New York City decided to raise the tax on cigarettes by 1875% in 2002, revenue didn’t rise, it cratered. And many targets of this sin tax became something else: customers for a massive criminal enterprise. Anthony looks at Idea 40 to tackle black market smokes on this week’s episode. Joining the conversation is Steve Schwartz, the owner of Globe Wholesale, a business that collects tobacco taxes for New York City.

To read Keys to the City, click here for the PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pUfBJdudI0hkZ-B4o5WGXRlpw0ktPAsw/view?usp=sharing

Got an idea for New York or your city, send me an email at [email protected].  

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