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Cancer Fighting Group Asks for Higher Cigarette Tax

January 22nd, 2016 by flanews

More than 100 thousand Floridians are estimated to be diagnosed with cancer in just this coming year. As Matt Galka tells us, advocates fighting the disease say we can cut into those rates if the state charges more for cigarettes.

Fighting cancer is personal for Beth-Ann Lesnikoski.

“I have 17 family members who have been effected by cancer. And all of these people have lives, have families who love them and we do well against breast cancer, we don’t do very well against things like lung cancer,” she said.

Lesnikoski took her fight against the disease to Florida’s Capitol Thursday. Along with about 100 other survivors and patients, they called on the legislature to raise taxes on cigarettes as they chanted “pass the buck.”

An estimated 43 thousand people in the state will die this year from some form of cancer.  Representative Richard Stark is sponsoring a bill that would add another dollar surcharge to a pack of smokes.

“Maybe they won’t do a dollar a pack, maybe they’ll do 50 cents a pack, but do something to raise cigarette awareness, we’re trying to get more and more people to quit,” said Rep. Stark (D-Weston).

There’s currently a $1.34 tax that comes along with buying a pack of cigarettes in the state.

The centers for disease control says the extra tax on the nearly $3 million smokers in the state could contribute $500 million more bucks for Florida. House Finance and Tax committee chair Matt Gaetz (R-Shalimar) is hesitant.

“Florida has one of the lowest youth smoking rates in the country, and we should be very proud of that. Rigth now, Florida’s economy is growing, and this is not the time to raise taxes on the middle class or anyone else,” said Rep. Gaetz.

Data from other states indicates that a higher price could reduce the amount of adult smokers by nearly 100 thousand. The legislature last increased the tobacco tax in 2009.

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