This document is a proposal to the Tobacco
Institute from a California consultant which discusses a plan to
help the industry defeat cigarette tax proposal in California
in 1982-83. The consultant discusses mobilizing Libertarians
on behalf of the tobacco industry, a technique that the industry has
been using increasingly in the late 1990's and into early 2000's:
"Assuming the cooperation of leadership in the
Libertarian Party, we can stimulate at least a modest letter
writing program among Libertarian activists throughout the state.
We recommend some financial assistance directly to the Party to
help offset the cost of mailings to their members requesting
action on the legislation in question. It would also be wise to
employ a key Libertarian leader as a consultant to this effort..."
The proposal also discusses how the industry
could clandestinely persuade citizens who are anti-tax (but who
may also oppose tobacco on the grounds of their religion) to vote
against the proposed tax:
"D. MOBILIZING TAX OPPONENTS
There is a great body of persons in California who are
against taxes...period.
...We believe this group is a ripe target for a program
which asks them to contact members of the legislature.
The key to success among this group is to stay away
from the specific issue of taxes on tobacco products. Many of
these persons are fundamental Christians or members of the Church
of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints. Discussing the tobacco aspect
of the proposal would be counterproductive.
Therefore, a mailing to this group would attack the
waste in government today and the need to cut existing excesses,
rather than continue the tax-and-spend syndrome of the past. It
would also give examples of how some excise taxes are particularly
cruel on the elderly, etc."
Quotes:
(from
Page 8, Bates No. 03676092):
B. MOBILIZING KNOWN ALLIES
Outside of the TAN [Tobacco Action
Network] organization there are a number of
individuals who are sympathetic to our cause. Among
them are the Libertarian Party, which is generally opposed
to all taxes, but especially to excise taxes...
Assuming the cooperation of leadership in the
Libertarian Party, we can stimulate at least a modest letter
writing program among Libertarian activists throughout the
state. We recommend some financial assistance directly to
the Party, to help offset the cost of mailings to their
members requesting action on the legislation in question. It
would also be wise to employ a key Libertarian leader as a
consultant to this effort.
Generally speaking, Libertarian activists are
considered to be out of the mainstream of political
activity. Therefore, we would encourage them to write
as consumer/taxpayers, not as political
ideologues...
(From page 12, Bates No. 03676095):
D. MOBILIZING TAX OPPONENTS
There is a great body of persons in California
who are against taxes...period.
...We believe this group is a ripe target for a
program which asks them to contact members of the
legislature.
The key to success among this group is to stay
away from the specific issue of taxes on tobacco products.
Many of these persons are fundamental Christians or members
of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints.
Discussing the tobacco aspect of the proposal would be
counterproductive.
Therefore, a mailing to this group would attack
the waste in government today and the need to cut existing
excesses, rather than continue the tax-and-spend syndrome of
the past. It would also give examples of how some excise
taxes are particularly cruel on the elderly, etc.
(From page 12, Bates No. 03676096):
E. STIMULATING FRIENDS IN THE NEWS MEDIA
Much of the California news media is
unsympathetic to the tobacco industry. However, there are
also a significant number of individual reporters,
columnists, editors, and publishers who are viscerally
opposed to unfair taxation.
Among them are syndicated columnist Earl Waters,
San Francisco Chronicle columnist Abe Melenkoff, Register
editorial editor Tim Ferguson, and Fred Kline, Executive
Editor of the Capitol News Service.
We can develop several articles favorable to our
position by a quiet program of individually talking with
selected friends in the news media. We would strongly
encourage that any blanket coverage of the press be low key,
factual, and well timed, so that such efforts not stimulate
more enmity than sympathy.
Articles and editorials can be mailed to
legislators by TAN members to remind them that this issue is
a matter of concern to many people. While such articles
might not be compelling in and of themselves, they certainly
will help buttress other aspects of the mobilization
program.
It would also be wise to provide low key briefing
papers to newly elected legislators, similar to the kit sent
to the general news media.
A not-for-profit corporation founded in 1976 as
the California Group Against Smoking Pollution (GASP).
Now there are several state branches of GASP around the
country.
Libertarian
Party Orange County Employees Assn Register San
Francisco Chronicle Senate Finance Committee TAN (Tobacco Action Network)
Organization created by the tobacco industry to
galvanize political action from a mong those who work in
some capacity for the tobacco industry: growers,
manufacturers, retailers of cigarettes,
etc.
The purpose of the Institute was to defeat
legislation unfavorable to the industry, put a positive
spin on the tobacco industry, bolster the industry's
credibility with legislators and the public, and help
maintain the controversy over "the primary issue" (the
health issue).
UPI, United Press
International Assembly Ways + Means Revenue + Tax
Named Person:
Waters, E. Brown, Edmund G. - past Governor
of California Brown, Willie Caterinicchio, F. Cook,
J. Deukmejian, George. Fergusson, T. Hayakawa,
S.I. Kline, F. Manter, R. Melenkoff, A. Moore,
G. Nelson, R.E. Padberg, E.E. Reagan, R. Roberti,
D.
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