Nebraska Revenue Committee Bill Fails to Address Tobacco Crisis
Statement from American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Nebraska Government Relations Director Megan Word
Noe Baker
Wyoming Legislators Missed a Proven Opportunity to Save Lives and Raise Revenue by Not Introducing the Tobacco Tax
February 16, 2018
CHEYENNE, Wyo.—Feb. 16, 2018—The Wyoming Legislature’s House of Representatives decided not to introduce House Bill 43 by today’s bill cutoff deadline, effectively killing any chance of a $1 tobacco tax increase passing this legislative session.
Jason Mincer, Wyoming government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) released the following statement:
"The Wyoming Legislature missed a proven opportunity to save lives and raise critical new revenue by not introducing the Revenue Committee’s tobacco tax bill this session. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, and Wyoming struggles with high smoking rates among both adults and teens.
"Making tobacco products significantly more expensive is the best way to prevent kids from a lifetime addiction and help current tobacco users quit successfully. House Bill 43 would have raised Wyoming’s cigarette tax by $1 per pack and increased the price of all other tobacco products at equal amounts. This tax increase could have prevented 2,400 Wyoming kids from becoming adult smokers and helped another 2,800 adult smokers quit.
"It would have also raised much-needed revenue to address Wyoming’s budget crisis. Right now, smoking costs our state $258 million in annual health care costs, and a $1 cigarette tax increase would raise about $22 million in new annual revenue, at the same time lowering long-term health care costs.
"While the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network is disappointed in today’s outcome, we will continue working with the Legislature to raise Wyoming’s cigarette tax by at least $1 so we can save lives and reduce the devastating financial and physical toll of tobacco use on our great state."
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
###
More Press Releases About