• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Health / Medicine / Lung Association says cigarette tax increase a tough sale

Lung Association says cigarette tax increase a tough sale

January 11, 2006 By admin

Anti-smoking activists say they’ve built a grassroots network to try to persuade lawmakers to raise the state tax on cigarettes. But Dan Ramsey of the American Lung Association of Iowa admits it’ll be a tough sell. “The tobacco companies have a real strong hold on a lot of legislators here,” Ramsey says. “They’re backed by the grocers association and they’re backed by the convenience stores’ association as well…We’re outgunned and we’re outspent, basically.”

Republican leaders in the Iowa House say they don’t want to raise any taxes, including the cigarette tax. Ramsey says they’re looking at it wrong.”Until legislators can get their heads around the idea that it’s a health issue, not a revenue issue, they might have some problems with it,” Ramsey says. “State after state, program after program has shown that if you raise the tobacco tax, people quit smoking and young people don’t start and pregnant women don’t continue.”

For every 10 percent hike in the cigarette tax, Ramsey says there’s a 17 percent decline in the number of kids who take up the habit. “Children are very price-sensitive,” Ramsey says. “They only have so much money and you raise (the tax) a dollar a pack, you know, kids are going to start thinking about it and it’s going to have an impact.”

Ramsey and the Tobacco Free Partnership of Iowa are asking legislators to raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes by a dollar. Governor Tom Vilsack is asking legislators to raise it 80 cents per pack. Last April, the Iowa Senate voted to raise the cigarette tax by 36 cents a pack but the House never took up the proposal.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Health / Medicine, Politics / Govt Tagged With: Tobacco

Featured Stories

Bill would limit placement of solar arrays on farm ground

Marquette casino moving to land, leaving only 2 casino boats in Iowa

Reynolds signs her ‘school choice’ bill into law

Governor Reynolds touts 2024 Iowa Caucuses in Inaugural Address

University of Iowa grad presiding over U.S. House Speaker vote

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

No coaching changes coming for Iowa football

Iowa State names new receivers coach

No. 2 Iowa visits No. 1 Penn State in wrestling dual Friday night

Iowa’s Clark brings increased exposure to women’s basketball

No. 18 Iowa State women visit TCU

More Sports

Archives

Copyright © 2023 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC