Study Shows New Cigarette Tax Could Generate Billions

Health advocates believe adding a dollar per pack tax to cigarettes would boost the economy and provide long-term health benefits for the nation.
To bolster their case, they released a poll and a report showing most Americans would support such a tax.
The poll conducted by International Communications research found 60 percent of voters favor the tax as a way to help struggling states and prefer it over other tax increases or budget cuts.
A spokesman for the American Cancer Society cited, quote, "irrefutable evidence that raising the tobacco tax lowers smoking rates among adults and deters millions of children from picking up their first cigarette." The report estimates increasing the tax on cigarettes by a dollar a pack could raise more than $9-billion a year for cash-strapped states.
It was released by the Cancer Action Network, the advocacy arm of the American Cancer Society, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
All these non-profit groups have long supported increasing tobacco taxes as a way to discourage smoking.