Posted on 06/08/2010 7:24:11 PM PDT by Drango
Poll shows support for raising W.Va. cigarette tax Sixty-three percent of Mountain State voters would favor a $1 hike on a pack of cigarettes to help ease budgets problems and reduce youth smoking, according to the poll commissioned by the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Health advocates in West Virginia hope state politicians take action on a new poll showing that most voters support raising taxes on cigarettes.
According to the poll, 63 percent of West Virginia voters would favor a $1 hike on a pack of cigarettes to help ease state fiscal woes and reduce youth smoking. The poll, commissioned by the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, was released Tuesday.
Research shows that raising cigarette taxes is one of the most effective ways to stop kids from smoking and to help adults quit, members of the coalition said at a Capitol news conference. A $1 hike would prevent 19,000 West Virginia youth from smoking, they say.
"It's a win for health," said Hersha Arnold Brown of the American Cancer Society. "It's a win for our youth. It's a win for the state budget."
State officials are projecting a $150 to $160 million shortfall in fiscal year 2011.
A dollar-per-pack tax increase would generate $117 million in annual revenue for West Virginia, despite the decline in tobacco consumption it would bring, the groups say. They hope the poll results will convince lawmakers that it's not politically unpopular to favor higher cigarette taxes.
West Virginia last raised its cigarette tax in 2003, when the tax jumped from 17 cents to the current 55 cents. Today, that ranks 44th in the nation.
West Virginia Wholesalers Association Executive Director John Hodges said a tax increase would hurt businesses and kill jobs.
"Things are bad enough already," Hodges said. "We just try to be as competitive as we can because there's real competition between the states."
When it comes to plugging state budget holes, most West Virginians prefer hiking taxes on alcohol and tobacco over other options, according to the survey.
Asked about other ways to address fiscal woes, a majority of state voters opposed raising taxes on pop, income, state sales, and gasoline, according to the poll. Most also oppose cutting funding for health care, education, road maintenance, and nursing home care.
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Support for a higher cigarette tax crosses party lines, according to the survey. Sixty-one percent of Republicans, 65 percent of Democrats and 62 percent independent voters favor raising the tax.
The tobacco wars are over. This is just a death rattle.
Taxing only certain portion of the adult population to reduce “the state’s woes” will stop kids from smoking! Yeah that’s the ticket! Why don’t the non-smokers pitch in too! The state’s woes are their woes too! Don’t the non-smokers care about their “state’s woes”?
B) We're not taxing as much as 43 other states.
C) We need the money.
Only thing missing is
D) Smokers need to pay for educating your children.
We smokers have been warning you for years; once the smoking well runs dry they're coming for your favorite vice - like eating.
The Tax Wars are just getting revved up.
Guessing it's all about the former and the latter won't see a dime.
Don't they realize they can collect ten times as much with a "whale tax" on Big Macs and Big'n'Tasties?
A $1 a bottle tax on beer would certainly discourage yout DUIs, too. It's for their own damn good...
But it’s fer tha chillens!
I know, you’ll be fine unless they put a tax on buggering.
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