March 17, 2009 - North Carolina - the state that produces more tobacco than any other state - Governor Beverly Perdue proposes a $1-per pack increase in the cigarette tax (increase in the cigarette tax from 35 cents per pack to $1.35) and a 5 percent tax on alcoholic beverages. The two so-called sin taxes would help generate more than $400 million for the state budget that begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2010. Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight has said he supports an increase in both taxes.State officials project a gap of more than $3 billion between planned spending for next year and revenue. Perdue does not have the power to write the state budget. The Legislature will review her plan as it approves its own budget by this summer and sends it to Perdue's desk for her signature.
North Carolina is also considering a ban on smoking in restaurants and workplaces. The federal government is raising the tax on a pack of cigarettes from 39 cents a pack to just over $1 on April 1, 2009.
Related news brief: North Carolina - may consider raising taxes on alcohol and cigarettes...
Reference: Perdue wants sin tax to balance budget, WTVD-TV, 3/17.2009.
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Luckily, smoking bans (and ridiculously high tobacco taxes) don't affect me (even though I smoke a pack a day) ever since I switched to electronic cigarettes! If this happens, you should too. Hell, even if it doesn't, you still should. E-cigarettes are much safer than regular cigarettes (as they don't have the 4000+ harmful chemicals and cancer-causing carcinogens, and you can smoke them anywhere cigarettes are banned!
ReplyDeleteI found this blog that helped me figure out which brand of e-cigarette I should buy. If you're considering switching over, I hope this page helps you like it helped me:
http://greensmokes.blogspot.com
And here are some videos with information about how e-cigs work:
http://www.youtube.com/healthysmokes