Founded in 1902, the Hav-A-Tampa factory in Tampa Florida was a rare breed, being one of only a few Cigar companies owned by American businessmen.  On August 24th it will shut its doors, fire approximately 500 employees, and move its operations to Puerto Rico.

Rick McKenzine, Senior V.P. of human resources claims they’re not alone.  “It’s not just us,” he said, “It’s everybody in the business.”

The problem?  According to McKenzie, it’s federal policies that group cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco into one large, frowned-upon group.   Government taxes and over-regulation are making it impossible for the industry to survive in the US.  In April, Democrats in Congress raised the federal cigar tax a whopping eight hundred percent and, for Hav-A-Tampa, it was the final straw.

Hav-A-Tampa was the last large-scale cigar manufacturer in Tampa, a city once known around the world as “Cigar City.”  Now only one smaller factory, the J.C. Newman Cigar Co, remains.  It employs one hundred fifty workers.  How long it will last is any one’s guess.

It seems that, at a time when the United States needs jobs more than ever, some vocations are just not up to the lofty standards of Barack Obama’s nanny state.  Congratulations Mr. President.  You can add 500 Florida jobs and a hundred-year-old piece of American history to the cost of your tax increases. 

-Robert Laurie