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Posted on 01/09/2009 9:45:53 AM PST by colorcountry
Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. endorsed a $2.30 tax increase on a pack of cigarettes this morning, giving Utah the highest state cigarette tax in the country with a goal of wiping out the remaining state sales tax on food.
"I think that's a perfectly fair tradeoff," the governor said after publicly embracing the tax hike for the first time and going further than previous legislative proposals. Huntsman's target would more than quadruple the existing 70-cent tax on a pack of smokes.
Legislative leaders were open to the idea, and said it will be among the topics discussed in the upcoming legislative session.
House Speaker Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, said he would be supportive of the tobacco tax increase as long as there was an equal tax cut.
"I think you could quickly move [to raise] the tobacco tax to remove the sales tax on food," said Clark, speaking before a United Way-sponsored discussion of legislative priorities.
Senate President Mike Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, said the governor's proposal will need to be batted around.
"I've always been an advocate for removing the state tax on food, but as I listen to my caucus, I'm not sure they are," he said. "A lot of the body has absolutely campaigned on the promise of not raising taxes. … It's an alternative that needs to be discussed."
Sen. Allen Christensen, R-North Ogden, is already having a bill crafted that would raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes to $2. Huntsman's
proposal would raise it to $3. A pack of cigarettes now costs between $3.50 and $5 a pack.
As of last August, New York had the highest state cigarette tax in the nation at $2.75, according to figures compiled by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. However, many cities across the country impose their own cigarette tax, making the cost of a pack much higher. The national average was $1.18.
Michael Siler, director of governmental affairs for the Utah Chapter of the American Cancer Society, said he has known for a while the governor supported raising the tobacco tax, but didn't know how high he would set the target.
"As far as we're concerned, it's a good thing," he said, saying it would encourage smokers to kick the habit and could help cover the smoking related costs.
Cigarette tax supporters have said that every 10 percent increase in the cost of a pack of cigarettes, smoking rates would fall by 6.5 percent among youth and 2 percent among adults.
The Utah Legislature and the governor reduced the state portion of the sales tax on food from 4.75 percent to 2.75 percent effective January 2007 and then down to 1.75 percent as of January 2008.
Huntsman said that the $3 per pack tax would bring in $120 million to $150 million in revenue, beyond the $60 million the current tax generates. Huntsman said that would be "more than enough" to eliminate the sales tax on food. That would cost about $75 million.
"It would more than cover that remaining portion of the sales tax on food and I think it would show a great commitment to the people of the state if we would think creatively about how to get something like that done," Huntsman said.
Under Christensen's proposal, which the American Cancer Society and a network of other anti-smoking and public health advocates had supported, most of the money would have gone to cover health costs and toward smoking cessation programs.
Siler said they would still like money to go to those purposes, but the group recognizes that in these tough budget times it might not happen. He said his organization will still make the case to legislators this year and in future years that it would be a worthwhile purpose for the new revenue.
Huntsman said that, under his proposal, there would be plenty of money left for cessation and health programs.
Don’t you love some of these freepers who rail against Bush for increasing the size of Government and yet they have no problem having the government raising taxes on certain behaviors..
We all have our pet peeves. I think octogenarian drivers in Oldsmobiles who brake on exit ramps should be banned. And smelly waiters who reek of BO. Tax them, ban them. It’s all fun and games until it’s your ox being gored.
We have a culture of "mooches" lead by the imbecilic mentality of our politicians.
I think anyone who makes rude, obnoxious remarks about my smoking even when I am doing it a designated area ought to be chastised by the ACLU for “offending” me. Wait a minute! I’m a white male. I am incapable of being offended. If anything, I’m not offended enough. I should be forced to watch more asinine sitcoms and commercials where stupid, homely, overweight, out-of-it white men are constantly being out-foxed and made to look ridiculous by savvy women and terminally cool black men with washboard abs and tiny ears (not to mention their own, long-suffering kids.)
I sentence you to the same punishment given to Gitmo detainees. 10 years of watching "Will and Grace" on TV while your wife/girlfriend forces you to sit and watch.
After 5 minutes they broke down and told us where the bomb was. They begged for death.
RINO’s really continue to mostly harm the Republican Party as a whole political entity. What, if anything, the next RNC Chair does about all of the ongoing problems with RINO’s will determine the long-term future of the entire Republican Party. I seriously do hope that all of the RNC Chair candidates are paying full attention to all of the continuing problems involving RINO’s at each and every political level!
“Smokers are nasty sub-humans in the eyes of a Mormon.”
That may be, as you say, ‘painting with a broad brush’, but it’s precisely why The Stormin’ Mormon (Romney),and Huckabee, another religious health freak, reformed overeater and do-gooder, who were both responsible for shoving through statewide smoker bans, would never recieve my vote for any office.
I can’t believe I forgot that one on my list of people who the left despises.
White Male
Ever watch a safety or ethics video at work? Even where the setup is at a chemical plant, refinery or whatever, the unethical or stupid scared employee is the white male and the person reporting the unethical behavior or performing CPR is a minority female. All safety videos should be proceeded with a BARF ALERT and not for any gore that might be present.
Agreed.
In my state, (Utah) the governor campaigns as a conservative. He gets elected then governs as a RINO. I am sick of it. Our past two governors were Mike Leavitt, (currently Secretary of Health and Human Services) and Jon Huntsman Jr. bot did this.
Huckabee? Sheeeeeesh. I knew to suspect him when a saw a MSM (doesn’t matter which program now does it) piece on him praising him for his weight loss and blah, blah, blah. That was about 5 years ago if I remember.
By the way, last I saw him he appeared to be gaining some of his weight back. Who cares.
In his mind he will control my life until my Body Mass Index (BMI) falls to the ideal range. Then that ideal range will be continually lowered until fat camps will be required of all. Then the ideal BMI range will be lowered until concentration camps (or plenty of rooms 101) will be required. It might take 20 years but we are headed there.
“There is no difference between the Republicans and Democrats any more. They are both enemies of the people”.
BUMP!!
Bingo!
Tell us what sort of treat you like so we can tax it out of your reach.
They mean well. RINO's and libs in State and local Gubmint think they are trying to heal the world and make it a better place. (Cue Michael Jackson song)
The comedy of the false premise that they can control anything when they can't even control themselves is lost on them.
Why only $3? Make it $10.
And this week’s TIME has a blurb on the new danger - THIRD HAND SMOKE.
Well, one thing’s for sure, between SHS and THS, we Americans are the Kings of HandJobs.
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