The state of Maine has completed a tally of the revenue they expect this year. And boy, are they ever shocked at something in the forecast. Not surprisingly personal income taxes will bring in the most revenue, over a billion dollars. Second place goes to sales taxes, expected to bring in another $840 million dollars.

What is a surprise is what's coming in at third place, revenues from cigarette
taxes. Shazzaam! Yes, my friends, the taxes that Maine will collect from smokers will be the third-largest revenue generator. The state is going to take in $95 million dollars worth of loot from smokers. That puts tobacco tax revenues ahead of corporate income taxes - they're expected to bring in a mere $90 million. And cigarette taxes don't include Maine's portion of the tobacco settlement, estimated to bring in another $50 million a year.

Revenues from productivity, the work of corporations will now be surpassed by revenues from those sitting around sucking smoke. The state's economist, Laurie Lachance, was in shock. She said, "To think that our taxes on packages of cigarettes have passed the taxes on our corporations. It sounds like that can't be right, but it is. It's hard to fathom that cigarettes generate more revenue for the state, than corporations generate for the state."

Hey Laurie, what's really hard to fathom is that you, and so many others, don't even realize that the chief smoking addicts in the country are you guys in state government. Yeah, you're addicted to the money!

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