TOPEKA, Kan. – More than two-thirds of Kansas voters support raising tobacco taxes to alleviate budget shortfalls and generate revenue for health programs, according to a December 2016 poll commissioned by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
When asked if they favored increasing tobacco taxes to help balance the budget, 70 percent of respondents said yes – with 46 percent indicating they strongly favor the proposal.
Currently, Gov. Sam Brownback proposes raising cigarette taxes by $1 per pack, but respondents across the political spectrum support a $1.50-per-pack increase, especially when the revenue is dedicated to funding health care and wellness programs. The governor’s proposal also includes a small increase for other tobacco products to 20 percent of the wholesale price, which is far below the proposed tax on cigarettes. Seventy-eight percent of voters support taxing other tobacco products, such as cigars and smokeless tobacco, at a rate comparable to the tax on cigarettes.
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition and other health organizations are advocating for $1.50-per-pack cigarette tax increase and a parallel increase on other tobacco products. The tax on other tobacco products, such as cigars and smokeless tobacco, has not changed since 1972.
Each year, Kansas spends more than $1.1 billion on tobacco-related health-care costs – $237.4 million coming directly from taxpayers through the state Medicaid program. A $1.50 tax increase on all tobacco products would generate more than $111 million in annual revenue. The #DollarsAndSense4KS coalition asks the Legislature to allocate $5 million of this new revenue to tobacco prevention and cessation. That request is in line with Kansas voters’ concerns: 76 percent of poll respondents said they worry about tobacco use among youths and support funding tobacco prevention. A $1.50 tobacco tax increase will prevent 16,200 Kansas youth from ever becoming adult smokers and prompt 20,000 adults to quit.
Public Opinion Strategies conducted a statewide phone survey of 500 registered voters in Kansas from Dec. 12-14, 2016. Forty-eight percent of survey respondents identified as Republican, and 26 percent identified as Democrat. Margin of error is +/- 4.38 percent.
For more information and updates, follow the hashtag #DollarsAndSense4KS on Twitter.
#DollarsAndSense4KS is a coalition of: American Academy of Pediatrics – Kansas Chapter, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American College of Surgeons Kansas Chapter, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, El Centro, Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, Kansas Academy of Family Physicians, Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, Kansas Hospital Association, Kansas Health Foundation, KU Cancer Center, March of Dimes, Midwest Cancer Alliance, National Alliance on Mental Illness – NAMI Kansas, National MS Society, Oral Health Kansas, United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition, Tobacco Free Wichita, Via Christi
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