Posted on 12/06/2006 4:17:42 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
Wednesday December 06, 2006
By TOM BREEN
Associated Press Writer
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) A new study says West Virginia needs to spend more money on discouraging smoking, and some advocates want that money to come from a cigarette tax hike.
The national report released Wednesday ranks the Mountain State 21st in the nation in spending on tobacco prevention programs. West Virginia spends about $5.4 million to combat tobacco use, while the federal Centers for Disease Control recommends spending a minimum of $14.1 million, according to the report.
That's down from $5.9 million last year, when West Virginia was ranked 20th, according to the study.
``We haven't come close to spending what needs to be spent,'' said Chuck Hampshire of the American Heart Association in West Virginia.
Hampshire said raising the cigarette tax from 55 cents to one dollar, as had been discussed in the West Virginia Tax Modernization Project report released in October, could bring in $60 million extra per year.
Lawmakers raised the cigarette tax from 17 cents to 55 cents in 2003, but have balked at further increases since then. Tobacco companies have lobbied against such increases, and political action committees working on their behalf gave at least 33 contributions totaling nearly $11,000 to legislative candidates during this year's election.
In August, outgoing Senate Minority Leader Vic Sprouse, R-Kanawha, said the state could save money on health care costs by raising the cigarette tax, which could induce some smokers to quit.
The tax modernization report, which was commissioned by Gov. Joe Manchin, found that West Virginia's tax on cigarettes is the 35th lowest in the country. Raising it to a dollar per pack would equal Maryland's tax rate, and would still be below the tax rates in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Curtis Dubay, an economist with the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax research group based in Washington, D.C., though, said tobacco tax hikes aren't an effective way to curb smoking.
``It's a targeted tax hike against people they don't like,'' he said.
Dubay predicted that increasing such taxes would only spur more cross-border sales and such illegal routes as Internet purchases.
``All a tax hike does is curb legal sales of tobacco projects,'' Dubay said.
Lara Ramsburg, spokeswoman for Manchin, said no decisions have been made yet on possible tax increases.
``We're still working on what our tax package will look like,'' she said.
The cigarette tax has generated $46.4 million so far this year, $1.6 million more than projected. The smokeless tobacco tax has brought in $2.08 million, beating estimates by $83,000.
The report points out that five states Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire and Tennessee report no significant state funding for anti-tobacco efforts.
``We feel lucky to have funding at all,'' said Teresa Mace, media director of the state Division of Tobacco Prevention. ``Although we do what we can with the funds we have, we could obviously do so much more.''
The study reports that only three states Maine, Delaware and Colorado are spending what the CDC recommends on tobacco prevention. The report was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association. ^ =
Associated Press reporter Lawrence Messina contributed to this story.
It's just more social engineering using the tax code.
The national report released Wednesday ranks the Mountain State 21st in the nation in spending on tobacco prevention programs. West Virginia spends about $5.4 million to combat tobacco use, while the federal Centers for Disease Control recommends spending a minimum of $14.1 million, according to the report.
Hampshire said raising the cigarette tax from 55 cents to one dollar, as had been discussed in the West Virginia Tax Modernization Project report released in October, could bring in $60 million extra per year.
...political action committees working on their behalf gave at least 33 contributions totaling nearly $11,000 to legislative candidates during this year's election.
OK, I am a smoker and I don't live in WV so this doesn't affect me. It would not affect me even if I did live in WV because I order my cigarettes off the internet from an Indian reservation and don't pay state or Federal tobacco taxes anyway.
So, let's do the math. The article states that an additional $60 million would be raised by this additional tax. However, it also states they should be spending 14.1 mil but are spending 5.4 mil. That's a difference of 8.7 mil. So where is the other 51.3 mil going?
The part about the PACs making contributions is immaterial. There were 33 contributions totalling $11000. That's an average of $333 per candidate. Hardly enough to "buy" a vote on a $60 mil bill.
Just my .02 worth.
I don't want an increase in cig taxes because I know that in the long run, it will mean higher taxes on the rest of us if the increase in promised revenue does not materialize.
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