For example, companies that violate state pollution laws do not have their fines excused because they've paid taxes or fees to the state. The State of Connecticut is asking the tobacco companies to pay for the damage that they have caused as a result of their conduct. Furthermore, taxes do not come close to covering the costs of tobacco-related illnesses. Despite the massive health consequences of its product, the tobacco industry has never paid a cent in compensation to society. The truth is that tobacco companies themselves pay very little in taxes.
Distributors pay the bulk of state excise taxes, which are passed on to the consumers.
Consumers also pay state sales taxes for cigarettes, not the tobacco companies. The number of years of potential life lost due to tobacco-related causes is staggering. Each man who dies of tobacco-related causes loses approximately 11.6 years of potential life, and each woman loses approximately 12.8 years. The more than 5,440 deaths a year from tobacco-related causes in Connecticut translate into more than 65,000 years of potential life lost, years in which these individuals could have been productive, contributing, taxpaying members of society were it not for the tobacco companies' conduct. The argument that somehow this horrendous loss of life is a benefit is callous beyond belief.