The Tobacco tax war is underway again, this time in the New Hampshire State Senate, as both sides debate the House passed 0.20 cent per pack tax hike before the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Supporters of the tax point to potential health benefits and a reduction in youth smoking. The Union Leader Article I draw this from is actually titled “Cigarette Tax Increase Seen as Deterrent to Youth Smoking,” but we already know that to be false.
According to the American Lung Associations own publications there has been absolutely no change in the middle-school smoking rate in New Hampshire since at least 2006, despite Democrats more than doubling the cigarette tax, taking it from 0.80/pack to 1.78/pack (plus a 65% wholesale price increase passed by Democrats in 2010).
The Lung Association’s reports for New Hampshire High School age smokers document the rate in 2006 at 20.5% (rising and falling) to settle in at 20.8% for 2010.
We also know that New Hampshire is consistently one of the healthiest states in the nation.
So if more than doubling the tobacco tax did nothing to decrease youth smoking, despite New Hampshire being ranked at the bottom of the heap for spending money on smoking awareness, yet we are still in the top three for overall health in the nation year after year, Democrats must be ill informed or….they just want more revenue.
Sadly, we know from experience that the last time the Democrats hiked the tax for any or all of these supposed reasons, the only thing that actually did happen is that New Hampshire tobacco sales dropped.
By the way… and this is extremely important, one of the only reasons New Hampshire consistently ranks second or third for overall health (instead of first) is that we do not spend as much money on “public health spending.” It’s not that we are not as healthy or healthier than states like Vermont or Hawaii; it is that we are as healthy without spending anywhere near as much as they do and the survey takers won’t give us credit for it.
But we have documented proof that raising the tobacco tax did not reduce teen smoking in the Granite State. We are proof that dumping millions into “health spending” is not necessary for us to continue to be one of the healthiest states in the nation. That live Free or Die (stay out of my face) can also mean Live Long and Prosper. Yet here we are, listening to the people most likely to benefit from that new spending, telling us we should raise the tax on tobacco… why?
So they can benefit from that spending.
This isn’t about youth smoking or public health it is about letting the state transfer wealth to bureaucrats we don’t actually need.
