Why It’s Time for States to Raise Their Tobacco Taxes

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It would address the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. while boosting revenue to address the public health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic.

States struggling under the weight of the public health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic have a simple, bipartisan option: raising tobacco taxes. Substantial increases in taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, have the benefit of improving public health across populations, increasing revenues for community programs and lowering future health-care costs for governments and businesses.

In the face of the pandemic, states across the geographic and political spectrum — including Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico and New York — are actively considering tobacco tax increases during their legislative sessions. Last month, a bipartisan supermajority in the Maryland Legislature moved to increase the state’s cigarette tax by $1.75 per pack, the first increase in nearly a decade, and to establish a tax on e-cigarettes to fund tobacco cessation and health programs.

The growing legislative momentum comes after voters in Colorado and Oregon approved tobacco tax increases in ballot measures last November. Colorado, which had not raised tobacco taxes in 16 years, will collect an estimated $175 million in revenue during the 2021-22 budget year for tobacco cessation and health programs. In Oregon, higher tobacco taxes will generate an estimated $160 million per year and help to fund the care of people with mental illnesses and other conditions.

Read full article here.

Nancy Brown – American Heart Association – March 15, 2021.

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