Tobacco Tax Increase, Too Much Optimism
Published on April 27, 2010 6:36 AM
Raising cigarettes taxes is considered an optimistic legislation, because higher cigarette tax may be an additional motive to quit smoking and increase state income. A lot of states increased taxes for smoking products, even Northwest Georgia which has higher smoking and lung-cancer rates than the other states. But only raising the state tobacco tax would reduce smoking among adults and discourage kids from trying their first cigarette, saving lives, ameliorating public health and improving worker local productivity, declared scientists.
For example 1.2 million smokers, more than 75,000 from Florida will quit smoking because of the cigarettes tax increase, which raises the total federal cigarette tax 62 cents to $1.01 per pack.
Every year Georgia accrues $5.54 billion in smoking-caused currency costs. For example, every 10 percent raise in cigarette prices can reduce smoking among youth by about 6.5 percent, but smoking among adults by 2 percent.
However, any decrease in smoking and consumption will reduce the state income, explained scientists. But current tax revenue was produced especially to help to balance the state budget and economy.
So, in Georgia the new increase in tobacco taxes is well-intentioned. As Georgia fights with unprecedented budget lacks and faces ravaging cuts to education, health care and other necessary public services, a new study showed that raising Georgia’s cigarette tax by $1 per pack would bring in $354.5 million in every year state income and will help close the state’s budget failure. This tax increase would also prevent 79,600 children from becoming addictive smokers; would stimulus 49,100 current adult smokers to kick the bad habit, and even would save 38,400 kids from premature, smoking-caused deaths.
A recent election shows that 73 percent of Georgia voters accept the legislation of raising the cigarette tax by $1 per pack. And even 50 percent of smokers support the tobacco tax increase to preserve health care supplying.
But antismoking scientists are praising this tax increase as the most important victory especially for public health.
