CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A $1-per-pack increase to the state tax on cigarettes is the right move for West Virginia lawmakers seeking healthier citizens and higher revenues, a health advocate says.
Annette Santilli, West Virginia’s lead ambassador for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, is joining other volunteers and cancer patients in calling for the tax hike ahead of a possible special session dedicated to budget work.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin indicated he won’t call the special session until there is agreement on how a projected $270-million shortfall for the 2017 fiscal year will be addressed.
“The lawmakers are faced with tackling this deficit, so it seems to me it is a no-brainer,” Santilli said of the cigarette hike. “It’s a win-win for the state of West Virginia, both long-term and short-term.”
West Virginia’s current cigarette tax of 55 cents per pack ranks 46th nationwide.
A $1 tax increase per pack, Santilli estimated, could generate an additional $121 million.
While the Senate approved that hike during the 2016 legislative session, the proposal ran into opposition in the House of Delegates. That opposition continues.
Tomblin originally proposed a 45 cents-per-pack tax increase to address shortfalls in the 2017 budget and has, in recent weeks, urged lawmakers to revisit that possibility.
A tax increase of 45 cents, Santilli said, “will not make a significant health impact. That’s why the $1 per pack increase is so important.”
West Virginia leads the nation in percentage of pregnant woman who smoke. The overall smoking rate of 27.3 percent among Mountain State residents is among the highest in the United States.
Adding to the cigarette tax could help bring down those numbers, while also balancing the budget, supporting insurance for thousands of state employees and preventing 6,700 premature deaths in West Virginia linked to smoking.
A higher tax would also serve as a deterrent to new smokers and pressure existing smokers to quit for good for an estimated savings in long-term healthcare costs of some $464 million.
“The burden placed on the state of West Virginia by folks who smoke is just incredible,” Santilli said.
Asked if she felt lawmakers were hearing what she and other advocates had to say, “I pray to the good Lord that they are because this state needs to improve the overall health of our residents,” was her response.
As of last week, indications were that talks among budget conferees from the House and Senate had moved away from possible tax increases and were focused instead on spending reductions.
“We’re meeting, we’re trying to get to the yes,” said Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Hall (R-Putnam, 04)
The new budget year begins July 1.