July 18, 2016
A cigarette smoking habit is about to get more expensive in Pennsylvania as a $1 per pack tax hike kicks in on Aug. 1 under the state’s newly enacted budget package.
According to an Associated Press report obtained by Newsworks, Pennsylvania’s cigarette tax will rise by $1 to $2.60.
Tacking that onto a $2 per-pack tax that was added in Philadelphia in 2014 to help fund the city's schools, the city’s per-pack cigarette tax will be at $4.60, the AP report notes, making it the seventh-highest in the country when combining local and state taxes.
The tax hike is expected to generate about $430 million dollars to help balance the state's budget, the AP said.
Meanwhile, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids estimates that every 10 percent increase in cigarette prices leads to a 4 percent decline in cigarette consumption.
Read the full report at Newsworks.
