[SheLion]

Read how much Mississippi smokers pay into the state economy every time the pay taxes on cigarettes.  And where does this money go?  Your guess is as good as mine!

Mississippi Information

Mississippi's excise tax per pack of cigarettes: $0.180
Mississippi's excise tax collection for the
fiscal year ending June 2002: $47,071,000

Sales tax on tobacco products: 7.00%

Federal excise tax per pack of cigarettes: $0.39
Total federal excise tax collections in fiscal year 2002: $7,512,700,000

Comparing Excise Taxes on Cigarettes, Beer and Wine

Number of six-packs of beer that must be sold in Mississippi to produce the same state excise tax revenue generated by one carton of cigarettes: 7.5

Number of bottles of wine that must be sold in Mississippi to produce the same state excise tax revenue generated by one carton of cigarettes: 26

Mississippi Smokers' Contributionsto the State Economy - 2001

Mississippi smokers comprise only 23.5% of the adult population in the state. Here is what they already pay because they choose to buy a legal product:

Smokers Pay Excise Taxes1	$	48,346,560
Smokers Pay Sales Taxes1	$	56,404,320
Smokers Pay Tobacco Settlement Payments2	$	203,800,000
	$	308,550,880

[Smokin' Joe]

What does the rest of his record look like? He would be a shoe-in for 20% of the vote based on this alone!

[SheLion]