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Cigarette Taxes: Do They Have an Effect on Reducing the Demand for Them?

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Cigarette Taxes: Do They Have An Effect On Reducing The Demand For Them?
By Lenora Walker
Virginia College
June 02, 2014

Cigarette Taxes: Do They Have an Effect on Reducing the Demand for Them?
Cigarette taxes may stop some from smoking but in the long run people will find a way to keep smoking. There are some that are quitting for health reasons. In 2005 there was a decline between 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent. If cigarette taxes are earmarked then it can cause problems in funding education, health services, or other programs that will most likely grow over time. Policymakers and advocates should consider if a cigarette tax increase is necessary.
In 2009 President Obama asked for a budget request to increase cigarette taxes from $1.01 per pack to $1.95 per pack. In 2015 the Federal tobacco tax would be indexed for inflation. Researchers have found that by increasing the real cigarette price by 10 percent would reduce the number of young-adults smokers by 3.5 percent and the number of kids by 6 or 7 percent.
The calls to the national quit line have increased by 30% in the past 12 months after they compared it in the 12 months before. Increasing the cigarette taxes has had an effect on non-smokers by reducing the second hand exposure. Studies have showed that people of the low socioeconomics look at price more than the general population.
With a regressive tax the poor is the one who pays the higher percentage through their income taxes. The economic analysis has determined that the extent of the net damage that is done to nonsmokers. This is determined by the extra use of medical care and the environmental tobacco smoke exposure. One of the reasons that sales tax is higher because this lets the rich save and invest a larger portion of their income which

makes the poor pay in income on consumption. And the second reason is that the commonness is higher

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