UPDATE - THIS BILL HAS BEEN REJECTED by the ND Senate! (Call to Action - North Dakota - 50% Vapor Tax)
CALL TO ACTION > February 16th - 18th, 2015 Senate Appropriations Committee will hear SB 2322
this Monday, February 16th, at 9:00 am.
DEFEATED - North Dakota vapers Thank You! - This bill has been REJECTED by the ND Senate 17-30!
STOP THE 50% VAPOR TAX IN NORTH DAKOTA
Because you are a North Dakota customer of ours, we assume you would be concerned with a very damaging idea currently moving swiftly through your state legislature that could dramatically increase your prices and reduce your access to products you enjoy.
NORTH DAKOTA Senators will be voting very soon on a tax bill that would add a new 50% tax to the vapor products you enjoy. It will accomplish this by defining them as a “tobacco products” under North Dakota tax law. Doing so would raise your prices significantly and also heap pages of new regulations onto vapor products sellers and consumers such that you could lose legal access to many varieties of vapor products you currently enjoy.
If your vapor products are defined and taxed as “other tobacco products,” then legal purchases would only be possible from licensed tobacco sellers in your state, who won’t stock the all of the products you need. This means that even if you can afford a jump in prices, you who won’t have access to the variety of selection you find online or at your local vape shop.
By making current online sales virtually illegal and requiring a tobacco seller’s license for anyone who wants to sell vapor, a tobacco tax placed on vapor would squash many North Dakota businesses and deny North Dakota consumers, like you, access to the products they enjoy.
This will dramatically reduce your choices in the marketplace, as well as put many North Dakotans out of work who feed their families on income they earn in the popular and growing vapor industry in the state.
The tax bill we are immediately concerned with, SB 2322, will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee this Monday morning! Please call the members of the Appropriations committee right away, this weekend. And, alsocontact your own legislators, who will vote on the vapor tax when it makes its way to a full vote of the legislature.
Note: In North Dakota, even if a bill fails in committee (our first step is to cause SB2322 to fail on Monday morning in committee), it still gets a chance to pass by being voted again by the full Senate. Our sources tell us that the entire Senate could vote on SB2322 on Tuesday or Wednesday. So, even if you receive this email after Monday, there is still time to take action. We need your voice to do this!
Important: Be courteous and respectful at all times. You should assume they know very little about vapor products and also that they generally they want good information so they can do the right thing for North Dakotans.So, educate them on how these products have changed your life and ask them to support your position politely, for best results. We realize this may upset you, but treating them rudely may make them your enemy and that could push them to decide against you when they vote. Also, keep in mind that you will be calling their personal cell phones, so please make these calls only between 9 am – 8 pm.
They need to hear YOUR story about
1)how these products have changed your life
2)how variety, access, and price of these products are important to you.
Please call AND email to ask these legislators to oppose SB 2322, which defines a technology product as a tobacco product and taxes vapor an additional 50% on top of retail price and sales tax.
Senate Appropriations Committee will hear SB 2322
this Monday, February 16th, at 9:00 am.
1. Call these Senators THIS WEEKEND:
Senator Ray Holmberg- (R) Chairman
Cellphone: 701-739-5334
rholmberg@nd.gov
Senator Bill L. Bowman- (R) Vice Chairman
Cellphone: 701-206-0510
bbowman@nd.gov
Senator Karen K. Krebsbach- (R) Vice Chairman
Cellphone: 701-720-1291
kkrebsbach@nd.gov
Cellphone: 701-202-7100
rcarlisle@nd.gov
Home Telephone: 701-378-2272
rerbele@nd.gov
Cellphone: 701-302-0355
jheckaman@nd.gov
Senator Ralph Kilzer - (R)
Cellphone: 701-226-2372
rkilzer@nd.gov
Senator Gary A. Lee - (R)
Home Telephone: 701-347-4809
galee@nd.gov
Senator Tim Mathern – (D)
Cellphone: 701-893-5016
tmathern@nd.gov
Senator David O'Connell – (D)
Cellphone: 701-720-2296
doconnell@nd.gov
Senator Larry J. Robinson – (D)
Cellphone: 701-840-0727
lrobinson@nd.gov
Senator Ronald Sorvaag - (R)
Cellphone: 701-361-2156
rsorvaag@nd.gov
Senator Terry M. Wanzek - (R)
Home Telephone: 701-251-6113
tmwanzek@nd.gov
2. Then, email each of them with “Please, oppose SB 2322” in the subject line and a brief story about how these products have changed your life. Be sure to explain that this bill will harm you.
Or, you can email them all at once with this list of addresses. Just copy and paste this list into your email “to” field to send one email to all of the members on the committee:
rholmberg@nd.gov, bbowman@nd.gov, kkrebsbach@nd.gov, rcarlisle@nd.gov, rerbele@nd.gov, jheckaman@nd.gov, rkilzer@nd.gov, galee@nd.gov, tmathern@nd.gov, doconnell@nd.gov, lrobinson@nd.gov, rsorvaag@nd.gov, tmwanzek@nd.gov
3. AFTER calling the committee members above, call and email your OWN Senator.
ClickHERE to find your own *Senator. Or, type this URL into your web browser:https://www.legis.nd.gov/lcn/assembly/constituentViews/public/findmylegislator.htm
*Remember, when emailing your OWN Senator, be sure to identify yourself at the top of the email as a constituent and include your home address, for proof.
4. If you can spare more time, then please contact the rest of the Senators. Every one of them has a vote that can help.
ClickHERE for a full listing of all North Dakota Senators. Or, type this URL into your web browser:http://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/64-2015/members/senate
Full email list: hcanderson@nd.gov, karmstrong@nd.gov, taxness@nd.gov, bbekkedahl@nd.gov, bbowman@nd.gov, raburckhard@nd.gov, tomcampbell@nd.gov, rcarlisle@nd.gov, jcasper@nd.gov, dcook@nd.gov, kdavison@nd.gov, ddever@nd.gov, jdotzenrod@nd.gov, rerbele@nd.gov, tflakoll@nd.gov, jgrabinger@nd.gov, jheckaman@nd.gov, dhogue@nd.gov, rholmberg@nd.gov, rkilzer@nd.gov, jklein@nd.gov, kkrebsbach@nd.gov, llaffen@nd.gov, olarsen@nd.gov, galee@nd.gov, jlee@nd.gov, lluick@nd.gov, rmarcellais@nd.gov, tmathern@nd.gov, joetmiller@nd.gov, pmmurphy@nd.gov, cnelson@nd.gov, eoban@nd.gov, doconnell@nd.gov, doehlke@nd.gov, npoolman@nd.gov, lrobinson@nd.gov, drust@nd.gov, dgschaible@nd.gov, macschneider@nd.gov, georgesinner@nd.gov, rsorvaag@nd.gov, ctriplett@nd.gov, jkunruh@nd.gov, tmwanzek@nd.gov, rwardner@nd.gov, jwarner@nd.gov
As a consumer of vapor products, you know better than most that these products are NOT tobacco, are NOTHING like combustible cigarettes, and that cost and full access to them are important to you. But, YOUR story is the one missing in this discussion as well organized anti-vapor groups have sent their high-dollar lobbyists into North Dakota to persuade your own legislative representatives to tax and regulate your products just like tobacco. If you care about cost and access of your e-cigarettes, make sure your voice is heard. You really CAN make a difference!
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. We truly appreciate your business and hope you will be able to continue to enjoy our quality products.