Every time a smoker coughs, a revenuer gets his ka-ching!
by January 12, 2009 2:32 pm 70 views
With a tax of 59 cents per pack, Arkansas ranks 38th in the nation for its excise tax on cigarettes, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators.
Gov. Mike Beebe and Arkansas legislative leaders have talked about a 50-cent increase in the cigarette tax as a funding mechanism for a variety of healthcare-related proposals, notably a statewide trauma center. The 87th General Assembly begins today (Jan. 12).
The highest tax on a pack of cigarettes is found in Hawaii, where a $2 increase on Sept. 30 boosted that state’s tax to $3.80 per pack. New Jersey comes in second with a $2.57.5 tax on each pack, and Rhode Island is third with a $2.46 per pack tax.
South Carolina has the lowest tax at 7 cents per pack, according to the FTA info.
The tax rates in Arkansas’ neighboring states are:
Louisiana — 36 cents
Mississippi — 18 cents
Missouri — 17 cents
Oklahoma — $1.03
Tennessee — 62 cents
Texas — $1.41
Link here for the FTA list of tax rates.