Tobacco Taxation 1

Tobacco taxation is a hot topic and all 50 state governments have enacted taxes on cigarettes, and many have raised their taxes several times. Taxes on cigarettes are a way governments can achieve two social objectives; the first objective is to reduce the number of citizens who smoke. The government issuing the cigarette tax hopes that the rise in the cost of a pack of cigarettes will persuade people to quit smoking. The second objective is to raise government revenue. A cigarette tax, like any other tax, increases the amount of revenue governments can spend on social programs. Where there’s smoke, there’s taxes — especially for New Yorkers. In a 2010 budget move officials say will generate $440 million in revenue, the state legislature passed a bill that gave New York the highest cigarette tax in the country. On July 1, 2011 every pack sold in the state cost an extra $1.60, raising the total state tax to $4.35, pushing the average cost of a pack up to $9.20. For New York City residents, the cost of a pack will now come out to close to $11 — a $2 rise from just over a year ago. The $440 million in revenue will benefit health care programs, AIDS drugs subsidies, tobacco cessation programs and $71.6 million will go to the state cancer research center in Buffalo. Supporters also applaud the health benefits, saying it will reduce the number of smokers by tens of thousands of people. Tobacco consumption is the leading cause of preventable death in many countries. Supposing current smoking tendencies continue, as many as 650 million people that are currently alive will die from a smoking-related disease. Within several decades, at least 10 million people will die annually from a smoking-related disease, making smoking the largest cause of death throughout the world. Fortunately, there is an effective and widely familiar tool to fight tobacco