The hike supporters said would help to curb the number of smoking deaths, but critics said it would place more needless burden on small business and the consumer.
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Earlier this year, California’s former top public health official said electronic cigarettes can lead to nicotine poisoning among children and threaten the state’s decades-long effort to reduce tobacco use.
That is as a result of throughout this month’s particular legislative session, lawmakers started laying the groundwork to move a brand new tax on well being care plans that might fund well being look after the poor, in addition to a package deal of anti-smoking payments that objective to decrease the state’s well being care prices by decreasing the variety of Californians who use tobacco merchandise. California is a high-tax state. The national average is $1.60 per pack and New York charges $4.35 per pack.
A rally for the $2-per-pack tax was held Wednesday subsequent to the Capitol by the Save Lives California coalition, made up of teams such because the California Medical Affiliation, the American Most cancers Society, the American Lung Affiliation and the Service Staff Worldwide Union. The poll was a survey of 1,555 voters and its sampling margin of error was a plus or minus 2.6%. But because of the influence of the tobacco industry, our tobacco tax is among America’s lowest, at 87 cents per pack.
This state hasn’t increased its tobacco tax since 1993. Why? Bills approved in June as part of the regular session stalled in the Assembly, but new versions were approved Thursday as part of a special session on health care.
Approval requires a two-third majority by both California chambers and many lawmakers from the Republican Party said they were opposed to increases in taxes.
Supporters say if the hike doesn’t pass the Legislature, they’ll try a ballot measure.
However, it could be an uphill battle.
Would increase the minimum age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21.
The bills face an uncertain future in the Assembly, where a committee shelved previous Senate legislation. Cathleen Galgiani of Stockton and Richard Roth of Riverside broke with their colleagues on some of the measures.
The current tax doesn’t deal at all with e-cigarettes, the one segment of the nicotine delivery market that’s booming. The legislation will also make sure e-cigarettes are covered under the 1994 Stop Tobacco Access to Kids Enforcement (STAKE) Act, which has successfully reduced illegal sales of cigarettes to children.
“The taxpayers of California should be able to recoup at least a little more of the costs incurred by tobacco use”, Pan said in a telephone interview.
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Letting local governments raise tobacco taxes would likely discourage smoking and cut into the state’s tobacco revenues, he argued: “I think we have to be very careful that we don’t kill the golden goose”.
