New Poll: More than Two-thirds of Mississippi Voters Support Raising Tobacco Tax to Fund Medicaid

Source from:  JACKSON, Miss., June 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ 06/27/2008

A new poll released today shows that Mississippi voters overwhelmingly support a significant increase in the states tobacco tax to fund vital Medicaid programs and help reduce smoking among kids. Nearly seven out of 10 Mississippi voters (69 percent) support a $1 per pack increase in the states tobacco tax to fund Medicaid and reduce tobacco use, particularly among kids. This support comes from a broad-based coalition of voters, including 69 percent of Republicans, 70 percent of Democrats, and 68 percent of Independents. Only 29 percent of voters oppose a $1 per pack increase in the tobacco tax. The survey of 500 registered likely Mississippi voters was released by Communities for a Clean Bill of Health, a statewide coalition of health organizations and individuals that includes the Mississippi affiliates of AARP, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Childrens Defense Fund, the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program, and the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi. A $1 increase in the cigarette tax is a win-win-win solution for Mississippi, said Jennifer Cofer of the American Lung Association. Its a health win that will reduce tobacco use and save lives, a fiscal win that will raise much-needed revenue to fund Medicaid, and a political win thats incredibly popular with Mississippi voters. When presented with several options for addressing the states $90 million Medicaid funding shortfall, voters overwhelmingly preferred an increase in the tobacco tax, with seven out of 10 respondents supporting such a measure. Less than three out of 10 (27 percent) support reducing funding for Medicaid; and one out of 10 voters (10 percent) support increasing the tax on hospitals. In addition, a tobacco tax increase was far more popular with voters than increasing other taxes, such as the state income or sales tax, which was strongly supported by fewer than two out of 10 voters. In addition, when asked to choose between the two options to help address the Medicaid funding shortfall, an overwhelming 80 percent of voters preferred the $1 per pack tobacco tax increase, with just 8 percent preferring the hospital tax. Among the options that are on the table, increasing the tobacco tax is clearly the preferred solution to the Medicaid funding crisis, said Jarvis Dortch of Mississippi Health Advocacy Program. The poll also shows that Mississippi voters will express their support for a tobacco tax increase in the voting booth. By a margin of 64 percent to 22 percent, Mississippi voters would be more likely to support a candidate for state office who supports the tobacco tax. Again, this strong preference crosses party lines as a majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents are more likely to support the candidate who supports the tax. In fact, a candidate who supports the cigarette tax increase will win handily over one who opposes it, regardless of which partys candidate supports the tax. A Democrat who supports the tax is favored over a Republican who opposes it by a 22 point margin. Likewise, a Republican who supports the tax is favored over a Democrat who opposes it by a 15 point margin. The average cigarette tax in the country is $1.16 per pack. At just 18 cents per pack, Mississippis current cigarette tax rate is the third lowest in the country. The survey found that 68 percent of Mississippi voters said that the states cigarette tax was too low. Large bodies of economic research, numerous expert panels, experience in other states, and even reports from the tobacco industry have concluded decisively that price increases effectively reduce smoking, especially among youth. The U.S. Surgeon General concluded that raising cigarette taxes is widely regarded as one of the most effective tobacco prevention strategies and that such increases would lead to substantial long-run improvements in health. Mississippi can expect a $1 per pack cigarette tax increase to prevent some 45,300 Mississippi kids alive today from premature death, addiction and disease caused by tobacco use; produce more than $1 billion in long-term health care savings; and raise more than $150 million in new revenue each year, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The evidence is clear that increasing the price of cigarettes is one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking, especially among children and pregnant women, said Oleta Fitzgerald, Director of the Children's Defense Fund's Southern Regional Office. Preliminary evidence confirms that every state that has significantly increased its cigarette tax in recent years has enjoyed substantial increases in revenue, even while reducing cigarette sales. Mississippi has nothing to lose and everything to gain from increasing its cigarette tax. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in Mississippi, claiming more than 4,700 lives each year and costing the state $719 million annually in health care bills, including $264 million in Medicaid payments alone. Government expenditures related to tobacco amount to a hidden tax of $561 each year on every Mississippi household. Currently, 19.2 percent of Mississippi high school students smoke, and 4,900 more kids become regular smokers every year. The survey was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, LLC. The statewide poll has a random sample of 500 registered likely Mississippi voters and was conducted June 11-12, 14, 2008. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4.38 percentage points. Enditem