COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio anti-smoking forces upset over "little cigars," candy-flavored tobacco and other tobacco products (OTP) said Tuesday they will push for a 55% tax on all non-cigarette tobacco products, reported the Associated Press.
The Investing in Tobacco-Free Youth Coalition said when legislators raised the state cigarette tax in 2003 and 2005, they did not include smokeless products.
"Tobacco products like little cigars, cigars and smokeless tobacco are cheap and come in candy flavors that appeal to kids. Their appeal to youth and the tobacco industry's aggressive marketing [image-nocss] of them in Ohio have led to a growing problem in the state," Shelly Kiser, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association of Ohio, said in a statement.
Under current law, the tax rate on smokeless tobacco products is 17%. The coalition's proposal is to tax those products at the same rate as cigarettes, or 55% of the wholesale price, and keep the two at the same tax rate in the future. For a $3.50 pack of cigarettes, the tax would be $1.93.
House Speaker John Husted said Tuesday that the House is unlikely to support an increase in the smokeless tobacco tax, 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.