johnnymk

State Cigarette Tax increases Since January 1, 2002
(And Political Party of Sitting Governor)

State
Tax Rate Per Pack
State Rank

(1 = highest)
Date of Last Increase
Increase Since 12/31/01
Political Party of Governor

Connecticut (2)
$1.51
1st
3/15/03
$1.01
Republican

Massachusetts
$1.51
1st
7/24/02
$0.75
Republican

New Jersey
$1.50
3rd
7/1/02
$0.70
Democratic

New York
$1.50
3rd
4/3/02
$0.39
Republican

Rhode Island (2)
$1.50
3rd
7/1/03
$0.50
Republican

Washington
$1.425
6th
1/1/02
$0.60
Democratic

Hawaii (2)
$1.30
7th
7/1/03
$0.30
Democratic

Oregon
$1.28
8th
11/1/02
$0.60
Democratic

Michigan
$1.25
9th
8/1/02
$0.50
Republican

Puerto Rico
$1.23
NA
5/16/02
$0.40
Other Party

Vermont (2)
$1.19
10th
7/1/03
$0.75
Democratic

Arizona
$1.18
11th
11/26/02
$0.60
Republican

Washington, DC
$1.00
12th
1/1/03
$0.35
Democratic

Maryland
$1.00
12th
6/1/02
$0.35
Democratic

Pennsylvania
$1.00
12th
7/15/02
$0.69
Republican

Illinois
$0.98
17th
7/1/02
$0.40
Republican

New Mexico
$0.91
18th
7/1/03
$0.70
Democratic

Kansas (2)
$0.79
20th
1/1/03
$0.55
Republican

— Statewide Average: 70.5 Cents per Pack —

Montana
$0.70
22nd
5/1/03
$0.52
Republican

Utah
$0.695
23rd
5/6/02
$0.18
Republican

Nebraska
$0.64
24th
10/1/02
$0.30
Republican

Wyoming
$0.60
25th
7/1/03
$0.48
Republican

Arkansas
$0.59
26th
6/1/03
$0.25
Republican

Idaho
$0.57
27th
6/1/03
$0.29
Republican

Indiana
$0.555
28th
7/1/02
$0.40
Democratic

Delaware
$0.55
29th
7/31/03
$0.31
Democratic

Ohio
$0.55
29th
7/1/02
$0.31
Republican

West Virginia
$0.55
29th
5/1/03
$0.38
Democratic

South Dakota
$0.53
32nd
4/1/03
$0.20
Republican

Georgia
$0.37
37th
7/1/03
$0.25
Republican

Louisiana
$0.36
38th
7/1/02
$0.12
Republican

Tennessee
$0.20
43rd
7/1/02
$0.08
Republican


Average of 20 states with no cigarette tax increase since January 1, 2002: 38.3 cents/pack
15 states still have state cigarette tax rates less than the federal rate of 39 cents/pack, with seven having rates less than 20 cents, and SC, NC, KY and VA have rates less than 8 cents per pack.

Last column shows the political parties of the Governors in office when the tax increases were passed into law. Thirteen cigarette tax increases averaging 43.4 cents per pack were passed with Democratic governors; and 24 tax increases averaging 54.6 cents per pack were passed with Republican governors (including half of the $1.42 increase in NYC under a Republican mayor, and authorized by a Republican governor – by which NY State receives roughly half of the City’s cigarette tax revenues).

U.S. territory Guam raised its tax from 7 cents to $1.00 on 5/1/03, and other cities, towns, and counties have also increased their cigarette taxes, including several in Virginia. Connecticut has separately increased its cigarette tax twice during this time period: from 50 cents to $1.11 in 2002 and to $1.51 in 2003. In 2002, Vermont and Kansas passed two-stage tax increases with separate increases in 2002 and 2003. Hawaii passed a three-stage tax increase, which has another 10-cent increase occurring on 7/1/04. Rhode Island passed a seven-stage increase, which has further 10-cent increases occurring on July 1st of 2004-2008. HI, NE & ID tax rates scheduled to revert to lower rates in the future.

More information is at: http://tobaccofreekids.org/reports/prices.

National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, June 26, 2003 / Eric Lindblom

cheapie

...and who said poor people don't pay taxes?

Merlin

Personally I prefer education as opposed to taxes to dissuade people from smoking.

__________________

Jeffbx

Well, sure, but where does the money for that education come from? People need to continue to smoke so the govn't can pay for the anti-smoking education. Right? Can I go into politics now?

Merlin

johnnymk

As long as it's considered cool and "bad" by teenagers, it's not gonna work.

Merlin

I don't know about that. Back in the day when I was a teen, all of us knew about the health effects, and in this day and age who doesn't? But since we all wanted to be somewhat proficient at our different sporting endeavors we didn't do it. Education worked on most of us. Of course some slipped through the cracks but hell you can't get to everyone. Even teens will learn if the message is presented right.

LPMiller

Uh...no. Hasn't been 'cool' and 'bad' in a long time. It's more of poor, disaffected and rebellous teens, not trendsetters.

__________________
lpmiller
Chief News Editor
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Once Shot A Man For Snoring Too Loud
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"The strength to change what I can, the inability to accept what I can't, and the incapacity to tell the difference." - Calvin and Hobbes

ufcrusher

I think that the people who enjoy smoking will always enjoy smoking, no matter what the health consequences may be. My mother has always been a smoker (while quiting occassionally) and I hated it as a little kid. I didnt have my first smoke until I was over 18, when a couple of my friends persuaded me to try it for the first time. I can remember that when I first got to college that I kept count of the amount of smokes I had until I reached my second pack, this took over a year since it was only when I was drinking. But after a while I started smoking relatively regularly, because my friends did. At my worst I was a pack a day and this went on for a couple of years, until I quit cold turkey 4 years ago. Since then I have had an occasional cigarette, mostly when I am stressed out, in pain, or annoyed. But I have never bought a pack for myself since then and it probably only amounts to a pack or two in that entire time, but I dont need to smoke.

That said, I think that taxing smokers so heavily is just plain wrong. Charge them higher premiums on their insurance, thats perfectly fine, but dont unfairly tax them because they have an addiction.

__________________
Welcome my son, welcome to the machine...Where have you been? It's alright we know where you've been....

johnnymk

Every place I go for Karaoke there are kids in their twenties and practically everyone of them smoke.

So I don't know what category you would fit them in: poor, disaffected or rebellious?

Either way, they probably started because of peer pressure and because someone in the media looked cool smoking.