MINNEAPOLIS -- So far this year, 19 state legislatures are considering bills that would increase cigarette and/or tobacco tax increases. Last year, 23 states had bills introduced to raise cigarette and tobacco taxes, but Vermont was the only state that actually enacted a tax increase on cigarettes of 13 cents per pack.
The following states have bills introduced to raise cigarette or tobacco taxes:
Alabama: House Bill 45 raises the cigarette tax by 32.5 cents per pack.
California: Senate Bill 591 increases the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack.
Kansas: House Bill 2306 would increase the cigarette tax by $1.50 per pack and raise the tobacco products excise tax to 25%.
Kentucky: House Bill 132 would add 60 cents to the state’s cigarette tax rate and also increase the tobacco tax rate to 40%.
Maryland: Senate Bill 37 and House Bill 108 propose raising the cigarette tax by $1.00 per pack and increasing the tobacco tax rate to the higher of 76% on most tobacco products, except premium cigars which would remain at 15%.
Mississippi: House Bill 81 proposes a 50 cents per pack increase in the cigarette tax rate.
New Jersey: Assembly Bill 1308 proposes to tax little cigars at the same tax rate assessed on cigarettes. Assembly Bill 1944 and Senate Bill 1213 would tax tobacco products at 90% of the wholesale price and increase the tax on moist snuff to $2.25 per ounce.
New York: Senate Bill 2687 would raise the cigarette by $1.65 per pack and Senate Bill 702 proposes to raise the tax on moist snuff to the higher of 95% or $3.63 per ounce.
North Dakota: House Bill 1421 increases the cigarette and little cigar tax by 44 cents per pack and raises the tobacco products tax to 50% while also increasing the tax on moist snuff to $2.72 per ounce and the chewing tobacco tax to 73 cents per ounce. Senate Bill 2322, which failed to pass the Senate, would have increased the cigarette tax by 44 cents per pack, raise the OTP tax to 50%, tax moist snuff at $2.10 per ounce, and increase the tax on chewing tobacco to 56 cents per ounce.
Ohio: House Bill 64 increases the state cigarette tax by $1.00 per pack and increases the tobacco product tax to 60%.
Oklahoma: House Bill 1719 raises the cigarette tax by $1.00 per pack and also imposes an additional tax on all tobacco products equal to 100% of the current tax rate.
Oregon: House Bills 1719 and 2555 raise the cigarette tax by $1.00 per pack, House Bill 2066 increases the cigarette tax by $1.25 per pack, House Bill 2166 increases the current cigarette tax from $1.31 per pack to $3.13025 per pack, and House Bill 3053 raises the cigarette tax by $1.50 per pack and the increases the OTP tax to 81.25%.
Pennsylvania: House Bill 199 would enact a new tax on tobacco products at 65 cents per ounce.
Rhode Island: Senate Bill 375 and House Bill 5732 raise the cigarette tax by $1.00 per pack.
Vermont: House Bill 265 raises the cigarette and little cigar tax by $1.25 per pack and increases the tax on moist snuff to $3.33 per ounce.
Virginia: House Bill 1590 raises the cigarette tax by $1.70 per pack, the tax on roll your own tobacco to 60%, and the tax on loose leaf tobacco to $1.26 for every four ounces.
Washington: Senate Bills 5729 and 5808 raise the cigarette tax by 50 cents per pack and Senate Bill 5808 also raises the OTP tax to 110%.
West Virginia: House Bill 2559 and Senate Bill 534 increase the tax on cigarettes by 50 cents per pack. House Bill 2634 increases the tax on cigarettes by $1.00 per pack and raises the tobacco products tax rate to 50%.
Wyoming: House Bill 173 raises the cigarette tax by 65 cents per pack and increases the OTP tax rate to 46%.
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