Supporters want it to go up by $1 per pack.
An effort will be getting underway to raise the tobacco tax in the state. A coalition of teachers, students, the faith community and some local elected officials are supporting a $1 hike in the levy on a pack of cigarettes sold in Maryland. "The last time we increased the tax on cigarettes was in 2007, and it worked really well," says Vinnie DeMarco, the President of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative. "That dollar increase reduced smoking dramatically; we reduced smoking by 32% in Maryland, double the national average. We saved 30,000 lives." He also says it helped fund health care coverage for 100,000 Marylanders.
According to the State Comptroller's Office website, the rate is $2.00 per pack for a pack containing at least 11, and no more than 20 cigarettes. It's 10-cents per cigarette for each pack of more than 20, and 10-cents per cigarette in a pack of free sample cigarettes. This tax rate took affect on Jan, 1st, 2008.
DeMarco says the purpose of raising the tax is to discourage young people from smoking, and to encourage adults who already smoke to quit. He also says it has the support of most Marylanders, regardless of their party affiliation. "Tobacco taxes, like alcohol taxes, are public health rescue measures, that the public strongly supports," he says. "The public may not support all kinds of taxes, but they support these because they know they work to reduce smoking."
DeMarco says the next step is to persuade state legislators to support this hike in the tax. That will take place when the 2013 General Assembly Session begins in January of next year.
Backers of this increase in the tax held a rally on Wednesday at Lawyer's Mall in Annapolis to show support for this hike in the levy, which they hope will reduce teen smoking and fund health care and public health needs. "Every pack of cigarettes costs $7.00 in health care costs, and we're already paying for their {smokers} health care costs," says DeMarco. "I believe the best way to stop that happening is to discourage them from smoking. That's what this is about."
