煙草在線據(jù)美國便利店協(xié)會報道編譯　　據(jù)《政治談論家》報道，美國煙草零售商們正在逐漸加大對紐約市長邁克爾·彭博最近遏制吸煙戰(zhàn)略的抗爭。紐約雜貨店協(xié)會對市長提出的禁止在店內展示煙草、對卷煙實施最低價格制、禁止零售商參與煙草制造商的優(yōu)惠劵活動的提案抱怨不已。從5月3日開始，紐約市議會的衛(wèi)生委員會就這個問題舉行聽證會。

　　雜貨店協(xié)會的代表大衛(wèi)·施瓦澤說：“這位市長一定是偉大的魔術師Houdini——他一定是Houdini——因為在他上臺就職的時候，我們在紐約市出售卷煙4200萬條。偉大的Houdini揮動手中的魔術棒，突然之間，在2013年的時候，我們售出的卷煙就變成為700萬條了?！?/p>

　　施瓦澤指出，吸煙者的人數(shù)并沒有相應減少，他還補充說，紐約市的新法規(guī)和新稅率使得卷煙黑市活躍起來。紐約州早已成為走私卷煙的第一州。

　　施瓦澤說：“這位市長和紐約市議會創(chuàng)造了我們所看到的最大的黑市。這個卷煙黑市與毒品貿易形成了競爭對手。機會主義者利用了制度，他們在紐約市購買未納稅卷煙，然后到處出售這些卷煙?！?/p>

　　紐約的韓裔美國人雜貨商協(xié)會會長李崇希（Chong Sik Lee）說，紐約市長的計劃將會進一步削弱小商戶。他說：“即使我們的店內有早已廢棄的標識，我們也會立刻被罰款。另外，這項提案還要求我們對商店進行改變，以藏起煙草產品。我們?yōu)槭裁匆仄鸷戏óa品呢？”

US: Tobacco Retailers Blame Mayor for Black Market Cigarette Trade

　　Tobacco retailers are ratcheting up their fight against Mayor Michael Bloomberg's latest tactic to curb smoking, Politicker reports. The New York Association of Grocery Stores railed against the mayor's proposal to ban in-store displays of tobacco, a minimum price for cigarettes and forbidding retailers from participating in tobacco manufacturer coupons. The City Council's committee on health is holding hearings on the matter starting today.

　　"This mayor must be the great Houdini — he must be Houdini — because in 2001, when he took office, we were selling 42 million cartons of cigarettes in the City of New York," said David Schwartz, a representative of the grocery store association. "The great Houdini waved his magic wand and all of a sudden, in 2013 we're selling 7 million cartons of cigarettes."

　　Schwartz pointed out there is not a corresponding drop in smokers, adding that the city's new regulations and taxes have allowed a cigarette black market to flourish. Already, New York is the number-one state for contraband cigarettes.

　　"This mayor and this council have created the largest black market we have ever seen. This black market in cigarettes rivals the drug trade. Opportunists have taken advantage of the system and they are buying untaxed cigarettes in this city and they are selling them all over the place," said Schwartz.

　　Chong Sik Lee, president of the Korean-American Grocers Association of New York, said the mayor's plans would further cripple small businesses. "Even if we have an out-of-date sign, we get fined right away," said Lee. "On top of that, the proposal requires us to make changes to our stores to hide tobacco products. Why do we have to hide legal products?" Enditem