"Tobacco Farmer Disagrees With Cigarette Tax Hike"

Source from:  WKRN Nashville  03/30/2007

It remains to be seen if state lawmakers will triple the state cigarette tax. A senate committee delayed next week's scheduled vote . Not surprisingly, some in Tennessee’s tobacco industry are against the tax hikes. Robertson Country farmer William Elliott and his family rely heavily on tobacco to help support the family’s farm. What may come as a surprise to some, he believes the cigarette tax is not the best way to get the money the state needs. Elliott’s family has farmed Robertson Country for more than 200 years. He still lives in the house his 90-year-old father was born in. Over the years he has seen changes and knows with farming he can never really count on what will come harvest time. He said, “Every year you can't put a value specifically like you would get a pay check. Weather has a tendency to have an effect on us more than others… that's why you have a variance in the total amount of income.” Elliott raises and grows tobacco to sell to other farmers. He heard about the new tax the governor has proposed to help raise money for education and said he doesn't believe the governor’s proposal to tax cigarettes is the best way to do that. He saidif the statistics are right, the money won't be there years down the road. Elliott said, “I don't see the tax on cigarettes as being something that's going to increase over time but I see something that is actually going to decrease over time.” He feels the state hasn't done a good job with the tobacco settlement money it has received from the federal government already; receiving more than a billion dollars and doing nothing to help tobacco farmers diversify. He said taxing tobacco is the easy way out for lawmakers. “Then again it's a political football. It's been a political football and they win and loose less votes with tobacco,” he said. Elliott plans to carry on his family tradition and hopes lawmakers can determine what would be best for the state. Governor Bredesen remains optimistic that his proposed cigarette tax hike will gain support once more people learn how it will benefit students and schools.