Georgia’s tobacco tax could more than triple under a late-in-the-game move in the state Senate.
The Senate Finance Committee voted 5-2 on Friday to amend a House resolution to raise the tax per pack of cigarettes to $1.35.
The move also would impose state tobacco taxes on vaping products and electronic cigarettes for the first time, potentially bringing in $350 million a year or more in a year when Georgia lawmakers are considering $2.6 billion in budget cuts.
Anti-smoking advocates and those who support more revenue for state spending have been pushing for a higher tobacco tax for years.
“Lifting the tobacco tax to the national average of $1.81,” said Danny Kanso, a policy analyst for the liberal-leaning Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, “would increase funding for public health and smoking cessation while helping to advance the state’s economic recovery.”
