A capitation tax on addicts

Thanks to a hike in the Pennsylvania tax on the wretched things, a carton of cigarettes now costs a state minimum of $83 and change.

Last month's price was already an astounding $70.

But our virtuous Democratic governor and our greedy Republican legislature were just plain strapped.

So they agreed to raise the money by the most regressive form of tax conceivable, a capitation tax on addicts, ripping a much bigger portion of the incomes of the addicted poor than of the equally addicted rich and super-rich.

And that includes poor retirees like my wife who will never, ever, see a raise.