US: Raising the Cigarette Tax Would be a Win-win For Pennsylvania

Source from:  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 11/24/2015

The editorial "A Good Tax: The Pa. Budget Should Draw More From Tobacco" (Nov. 15) outlines why the state Legislature should seriously consider raising the cigarette tax in Pennsylvania as a part of the budget, and I could not agree more.

The American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout, held Nov. 19, was a day for quitting. But as anyone who has ever used tobacco will tell you, quitting isn't easy. That's why it's so important that we do what we can to help, and right now we have an opportunity to help in a big way.

Research shows that increasing the price of tobacco is one of the most effective ways to help tobacco users quit and prevent our young people from ever becoming addicted to the deadly products. Gov. Wolf has proposed a $1 increase in the state's cigarette tax, and I urge our lawmakers to support a $1.60 tax increase.

Tobacco is currently the most preventable cause of death in Pennsylvania and nationwide, but we can help change that. By increasing the price of tobacco by $1.60 we can prevent an estimated 91,100 young people from ever using tobacco, help 108,500 adults quit and save 57,600 individuals from premature, tobacco-related death. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Let's all work to create a quit plan for Pennsylvanians by supporting this legislation to help them break the addiction. Enditem