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Show Look Out Smokers, Cause The Price's Going Up A measure to increase the state's tobacco revenue by $4 million has been prefiled with the Utah State Legislature. State Senator Karl N. Snow, Jr. (R) Provo has filed the measure asking for an increase from 8 to 12 cents per package of cigarettes. Senator Snow has twice before introduced similar measures to bring the state's tobacco tax into line with national averages. Outside of a handful of tobacco-producing states, the Utah tobacco tax of 8 cents per pack is the lowest in the nation. Currently, 43 states (including the District of Columbia) impose a cigarette tax greater than Utah, while two others impose the 8 cent tax. While the highest rate is 21 cents per pack, the national mean and median averages are slightly greater than 12 cents, with the mode even higher. "It is my own feeling this proposed increase is both reasonable and acceptable. While it is intended to raise additional revenue, there are those who hope that it will reduce- tobacco consumption. Some have suggested that an increase in the tax may be considered as an off-set to social cost resulting from tobacco consumption. "I will urge the Legislature not to earmark any revenues resulting from the proposed increase. There will undoubtedly undoubt-edly be several proposals made for the use of any increase. Competition for this revenue should proceed through the regular appropriations appropri-ations process, each proposal on its own merits. I personally hope that the Legislature will use the proposed increase to finance property tax relief for those on fixed incomes by way of a state supported circuit breaker law." Such a law was introduced last time by Senator Sena-tor Douglas Bishoff (R) Salt Lake and co-sponsored by Senator Snow and will be reintroduced at the forthcoming forthcom-ing session. |