The National Association of Tobacco Outlets has released an update on state tobacco legislation, including the introduction of new legislative bills since Feb. 25, 2013 that seek to increase or decrease cigarette and/or tobacco tax rates.
The update did not include unofficial media announcements that various state governors may propose to raise cigarette and/or tobacco tax rates as a part of a state budget plan.
State tobacco legislation updates are as follows:
Arkansas: House Bill No. 1531 would cap the tax on cigars at 50 cents per unit rather than assess the full OTP tax rate of 68% of the manufacturers price.
Florida: House Bill No. 473, and its companion Senate Bill No. 620, would increase the tax surcharge on a pack of standard cigarettes by $1 per pack. Senate Bill No. 252 would impose a fee of 2.6-cents per cigarette on non-settling manufacturer cigarettes.
Kentucky: House Bill No. 119, which would have assessed an excise tax at a rate of 39-cents per ounce on moist snuff, died in committee. In addition, House Bill No. 1359, which would have increased the excise tax on tobacco products except cigars by 22%, died in committee.
New Hampshire: House Bill No. 2 would increase the cigarette tax by 30 cents per pack.
New Mexico: House Bill No. 428 would raise the tax on other tobacco products from 25% to 53%.
Rhode Island: Senate Bill No. 247 would raise the cigarette tax by 90 cents per pack, the same cigarette tax increase also proposed in other previously introduced bills.
Texas: House Bill No. 2453 and Senate Bill No. 1136 would both impose a fee of 2.75 cents per cigarette on non-settlement cigarettes and per .09 ounces of cigarette roll-your-own tobacco produced by non-settling manufacturers.
Utah: House Bill No. 372, which would have tax electronic cigarettes at an 86% rate, was defeated in the House of Representatives by a vote of 29-44.