Financing health reform with higher tobacco taxes is looking more popular by the day. Even without added tax freight, the average price of a pack of cigarettes climbed above $4 per pack this year. More than a dozen states are now considering raising their tobacco taxes further--a few by $1 per pack or more--a step which could double the tax level in some cases. States have flocked to raise their tobacco taxes in the past, but this year's crop of proposed tobacco tax increases are among the biggest. It's also a new thing that so many are linking these tax hikes to expanding health coverage to their uninsured residents. States now considering such initiatives include Wisconsin, Oregon, Maryland and Iowa.
To get more information on tobacco tax trends:
- read this USA Today article