Consumers who buy tobacco and blank cigarette tubes at stores before rolling their cigarettes on an RYO machine before leaving the outlet soon may have to look elsewhere for a bargain, reports the Huffington Post.

A federal bill expected to be signed into law shortly will raise the tax on RYO tobacco to levels comparable with the duty on packaged cigarette products. The bill also will require owners of RYO machines to file for status as manufacturers. The measures are tucked into the Federal Transportation Funding Act.
Phil Accordino, president of RYO Machines, was quoted by Huffington Post saying the bill is designed to put store owners out of business. Obtaining a manufacturing permit is beyond the means of small store owners, he told the online news portal.
“We are disappointed at the recent legislative initiative to limit our business model,” Accordino said in a letter posted on the company website. The company stopped taking restock orders on 30 June, the letter states. (ci)