TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida Governor Charlie Crist said that he does not support raising the state's cigarette tax by $1 a pack, reported The Sun-Sentinel. While State Senator Ted Deutch's cigarette tax proposal picked up an endorsement from the Senate Health Policy Committee, including two Republican votes, staunch opposition from Crist and the state House's Republican leaders "all but doom" its chances, at least during this legislative session nearing its May 2 finish, according to the report.
The state Senate committee passed the cigarette tax plan on a 4-1 vote.
Deutch (D) said [image-nocss] raising the price of cigarettes is the most effective way to drive down smoking rates, especially among teens. Noting that conservative states like Texas have raised their cigarette taxes in recent years, Deutch said, "We don't need to get bogged down in the old discussions about whether to raise taxes. This isn't something we dreamed up to balance the budget. This is to save lives."
Jose Gonzalez, a lobbyist for Associated Industries of Florida, said raising the cigarette tax so dramatically is not fair to smokers. "You're talking about a $1.1 billion increase in revenue, but this is borne by 20% of the population who smoke," he said, according to the newspaper.
The last time Florida raised its cigarette tax, in 1990, the state government's take was 25% of the cost of a pack. Today it is less than 10%, Deutch said.
Health-care advocates acknowledged the cigarette tax may be dead for this session, but said the Senate committee vote builds momentum for the idea. "We feel like it was a tremendous victory even to get it up and heard in a committee," Brenda Olsen, a lobbyist for the American Lung Association, told the paper. "It clearly shows the type of support the cigarette tax can have and lays the groundwork for us to come back and be successful next year."
Florida currently charges 34 cents on each pack of cigarettes, the sixth lowest tax in the nation, the report said.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.