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Gov. Paterson Mulls $1.00 Cigarette Tax Hike
January 12, 2010
Gov. Paterson has recently mentioned that he is considering a $1.00 increase to the state's cigarette tax in order to raise needed revenue for health programs in the state's budget. Below is a statement from Donald Distasio, CEO American Cancer Society of NY & NY supporting that concept.
$1.00 Cigarette Tax Increase = $150 Million in Revenue,
10 Percent Fewer Kid Smokers, Highest Cigarette Tax in the U.S.
Statement from Donald Distasio, CEO, American Cancer Society of
NY & NJ, regarding possible $1.00 increase in NYS cigarette tax.
“Most don’t think that a dollar buys much these days. But an extra buck on a pack of cigarettes will buy more than 100,000 kids a brighter future, one without the agony of a smoking addiction. An extra buck will translate into $150 million for health care. That extra buck, a $1.00 increase in the tax on a pack of cigarettes sold in New York, recently suggested by Gov. Paterson, could be a lifesaver.
For every price hike of 10 percent, youth smoking rates decline 6.5 percent and adult rates drop by 2 percent. An increase from the current $2.75 to $3.75 means New York would retake its position as a national anti-tobacco leader with the highest cigarette tax in the nation.
The American Cancer Society encourages Gov. Paterson to include a $1.00 cigarette tax increase in his proposed budget. To make any cigarette tax increase even stronger, the tax should be collected from all cigarette retailers, including those operated by Indian interests. If those taxes were collected, the impact of a $1.00 increase would be significantly larger than projected in both dollars and in numbers of adults who will quit and kids who will never start.”
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