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Nearly 20 years ago, a U.S. Federal District judge found that the major cigarette manufacturers violated civil racketeering laws for deliberately defrauding the public.
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Gov. Paterson Proposes Highest Cigarette Tax in the U.S.
January 19, 2010
In his 2010-2011 NYS budget proposal, Gov. Paterson proposed a $1.00 increase in the tax on a pack of cigarettes. If enacted, the New York State cigarette tax would be the highest in the nation at $3.75 per pack.
Gov. Paterson Proposes Highest Cigarette Tax in the U.S.
Statement from Donald Distasio, CEO, American Cancer Society of
NY & NJ, regarding Gov. Paterson’s proposed NYS budget.
“A lifesaver and a revenue generator – that’s what an extra dollar tax on a pack of cigarettes means to New Yorkers. Hiking the cigarette tax by a buck will keep more than 100,000 kids from becoming addicted adults and will prompt more than 50,000 adults to quit. More than $150 million for health care is an added bonus.
For every price hike of 10 percent, youth smoking rates decline 6.5 percent and adult rates drop by 2 percent. With an increase from the current $2.75 to $3.75 New York would regain its position as the national anti-tobacco leader with the highest cigarette tax in the nation. Investing nearly $8.3 million more in the NYS Tobacco Control Program, when additional New Yorkers will need it due to the increased tax, tells smokers that they don’t have to tackle quitting alone and will save precious health care dollars in the long run.
The American Cancer Society encourages the Senate and Assembly to include Gov. Paterson’s proposed $1.00 cigarette tax increase in the 2010-2011 New York State 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 benefit 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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About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.
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