This year, the General Assembly has an opportunity to make a difference in the health of Georgia’s citizens. In looking for ways to pay for healthcare and transportation, the idea of raising the tobacco tax has been frequently mentioned by lawmakers. These facts should surprise you:
· For every 10 percent increase in the retail price of a pack of cigarettes, youth smoking rates drop by 6.5 percent and overall cigarette consumption declines by 4 percent.
· Georgia has not increased the tax on cigarettes in 10 years.
· The current average state tobacco tax is $1.54.
· Georgia’s tobacco tax is only $0.37 per pack, 4th lowest among the states.
By raising it by $1.25 per pack on cigarettes and other tobacco products, we would be near the national average and could generate over $350 million per year to help pay for our state’s needs.
According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, increasing the tobacco tax by this amount would mean 77,300 Georgia youths would never take up the habit, and 78,000 adults would find a way to quit.
As a result, youth smoking rates would fall by 18.9 percent and the long-term healthcare cost savings from having fewer people smoke would save Georgia over $3 billion.
For our lawmakers, this should be a win-win idea. By increasing this tax, they can decrease long-term healthcare costs and protect our children. Reach out to your state lawmakers to support the tobacco tax increase.
It’s the right choice for our kids. In fact, we all need to contact our state legislators and let them know that raising the tobacco tax by $1.25 is something their constituents support. The health of our children and the long-term savings for the state should be important issues for our lawmakers.
Please, reach out to your representative and let them know that this is important to you and that it needs to be important to them too.
Kim Westwood
Volunteer, Lead Advocate, Congressional District 3
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)
Peachtree City, Ga.
