Clear the Air

On Tuesday, June 10th, The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids released the findings of a public opinion poll showing the broad support by West Virginia voters for increasing the tobacco tax by $1.00.

Here is video from the press conference featuring Hersha Arnold-Brown of the American Cancer Society, Chuck Hamsher of the American Heart Association, Pete Fisher from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and Nathan Henry from the Mellman Group who conducted the poll.

For more information, including details of this poll, visit the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia website.

Chuck Hamsher, CTFWV spokesperson and Government Relations Director for the American Heart Association, discussed raising West Virginia’s tobacco tax with former-Senator Bobbie Nelson on WRVC Radio in Huntington on Wednesday.

Listen to this via podcast by clicking here.

A new poll released today shows that 63 percent of West Virginia voters support raising the tobacco tax by $1 per pack to help address budget shortfalls and reduce youth smoking .

This support comes from a broad spectrum of voters, including 61 percent of Republicans, 65 percent of Democrats, and 62 percent of Independents. In addition, voters from around the state and across every demographic group strongly support the tobacco tax increase.

“Now is the time for legislators to listen to the large majority of West Virginia voters who want to raise the tobacco tax instead of cutting critical programs. These results show that, regardless of party, voters across West Virginia understand raising the tobacco tax is a smart way to address budget shortfalls and debt while protecting our kids from tobacco,” said Chuck Hamsher of the American Heart Association. “Raising the tobacco tax is a win, win for West Virginia.”

The survey of 500 registered West Virginia voters was released by the Coalition for a Tobacco Free West Virginia, which includes the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

West Virginia voters also express a preference for candidates who support the tobacco tax. By a margin of 55 percent to 33 percent, voters opt for a candidate who supports the tax over one who opposes it. The preference for candidates who support the tobacco tax holds for Democrats, independents, and Republicans.

“Clearly, West Virginia voters view the tobacco tax as different than other taxes,” commented Mark Mellman whose firm conducted the poll. “Far from punishing policy-makers who support the tobacco tax, they are more likely to reward them.”

West Virginia voters strongly prefer the tobacco tax over other options for addressing the state’s budget woes. When presented with a list of options for closing the budget gap 58% percent support increasing the tobacco tax for this purpose, while a majority opposed other options such as increasing state sales, income, or gasoline taxes, and reducing funding for health care, education, or nursing home care. Increasing the alcohol tax was the only other proposal to garner majority support.

A recent report by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and other public health organizations found that a $1 increase in West Virginia’s tobacco tax would raise $117 million in new annual revenue for the state, despite the declines in smoking it would help bring about. The tax increase would also prevent 19,100 West Virginia kids from smoking, save 9,500 state residents from premature, smoking-caused deaths and save $458 million in tobacco-related health care costs (for more information, go to www.tobaccofreekids.org/winwinwin). These health benefits would be even greater if some portion of the tax is used to fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which are underfunded in West Virginia. Three-fourths of voters in the poll support funding prevention efforts at the level recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

West Virginia’s current cigarette tax is 55 cents per pack, which ranks 44th in the nation and is well below the national average of $1.44 per pack.

The survey was conducted by the polling firm The Mellman Group. The statewide poll has a random sample of 500 registered West Virginia voters and was conducted May 8 to May 11, 2010. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points.

A coalition of state and national health advocates will release a new poll showing widespread support for raising the tobacco tax $1 to reduce youth smoking and generate new revenue for the state budget. The results will be announced at a news conference on Tuesday, June 8 at 2:00 PM.

WHO: Chuck Hamsher, American Heart Association; Coalition for a Tobacco Free West Virginia

Pete Fisher, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids

Nathan Henry, The Mellman Group, Inc.

WHAT: News Conference call to present poll findings.

WHERE: Governor’s Conference Room
State Capitol

WHEN: Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 2:00 PM

Cuirrently under consideration by the House Health and Human Resources Committee is HB-2746 which would increase the tobacco excise tax by raising the tax on cigarettes by 65 cents per pack and increasing the rate on other tobacco products from 7% of the wholesale price to 14% of the wholesale price.

Higher taxes produce a decrease in the number of children who smoke. On this point even the public health advocates and the tobacco industry agree. Industry documents show that Philip Morris, a corporate giant in the tobacco industry, believes that when taxes are raised the overall number of people who use tobacco products decreases. Another large tobacco company, RJ Reynolds, has data that shows that if tobacco prices were increased by 10 percent then the number of teenage smokers would decrease by 11.9 percent.

According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, increasing West Virginia excise tax would mean 12,400 children alive today will prevented from becoming adult smokers.

In addition to preventing children from starting using tobacco a tobacco tax increase, as proposed in this legislation, would result in 8,500 current adult smokers quitting and and would prevent 2,700 smoking-affected births.

This proposed tax increase would generate nearly $100 million in new revenue and realize the state nearly $300 million in long-term health savings.

Contact members of the House Health and Human Resources Committee and urge their strong support on HB-2746. Contact information for members of this committee is shown below. Please phone and email legislators now!

Delegate Don Perdue – Chair
(304) 340-3269
dperdue@mail.wvnet.edu

Delegate Hatfield - Vice-Chair
(304) 340-3140
hatfield@mail.wvnet.edu

Delegate Border - Minority Chair
(304) 340-3136
bordel@mail.wvnet.edu

Delegate Miller, J. –
(304) 340-3147
jonathan@delegatejmiller.com

Delegate Campbell
(304) 340-3230
tom.campbell@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Eldridge
(304) 340-3174
jeffeldridge96@yahoo.com

Delegate Fleischauer
(304) 340-3169
barbaraf@mail.wvnet.edu

Delegate Lawrence
(304) 340-3152
lawrencefordelegate@hotmail.com

Delegate Manypenny
(304) 340-3139
mmany@mail.wvnet.edu

Delegate Marshall
(304) 340-3900
chmarsh@mail.wvnet.edu

Delegate Moore
(304) 340-3189
cmoore@mail.wvnet.edu

Delegate Moye
(304) 340-3162
rickymoye@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Perry
(304) 340-3117
d.perry@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Phillips
(304) 340-3163
lgphill@mail.wvnet.edu

Delegate Poling, D.
(304) 340-3137
dan.poling@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Rodighiero
(304) 340-3154
rrodigh@mail.wvnet.edu

Delegate Spencer
(304) 340-3218
delspencer@aol.com

Delegate Staggers
(304) 340-3197
margaret.staggers@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Susman
(304) 340-3183
ssusman@mail.wvnet.edu

Delegate Wooton
(304) 340-3164
wrwooton@mail.wvnet.edu

Delegate Andes
(304) 340-3121
troy.andes@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Carmichael
(304) 340-3115
mcarmich@mail.wvnet.edu

Delegate Lane
(304) 340-3275
patrick.lane@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Miller, C.
(304) 340-3176
carol.miller@wvhouse.gov

Delegate Rowan
(304) 340-3157
ruth.rowan@wvhouse.gov

The following tobacco-related bills were introduced today, Wednesday, January 13th, in the West Virginia Legislature:

SB 24 - Forbidding tobacco products’ sale in pharmacies

SB 55 - Granting municipal courts jurisdiction over juveniles violating tobacco use laws

SB 56 - Increasing penalties for underage use or possession of tobacco

HB 2681 - Eliminating the food tax, increasing the tax on nonintoxicating beer, increasing the cigarette tax, increasing the noncigarette tobacco products tax..etc..

HB 2746 - Raising the excise tax on cigarettes and all other tobacco products

HB 2773 - Increasing the monetary penalties for selling tobacco products to minors

HB 2808 - Providing a procedure for removal of county, district or municipal officers

HB 2855 - Permitting the holder of a license to sell nonintoxicating liquors to determine the use or nonuse of tobacco products on the licensees’ premises

HB 2932 - Requiring the approval of board of health rules relating to tobacco use in public or private places

HB 3078 - Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity Standard and Fire Prevention Act

All House legislation on this list are carryover bills from the 2009 session. HB 3078, while introduced today, was actually passed in 2009 as a Senate bill.

Bills are listed here for informational purposes only and no endorsement is to be implied. Clear the Air will review bills more in depth as they begin to move. To track these bills yourself visit the West Virginia Legislative website Bill Status page.

Tags: 2009 Session, bills introduced, clean indoor air, tobacco control, tobacco excise tax, West Virigina Legislature

Source: Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids

Studies, and experience in state after state, show that higher cigarette taxes are one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking among both youth and adults. Every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes reduces youth smoking by about seven percent and overall cigarette consumption by about four percent.

Every state that has significantly increased its cigarette tax has enjoyed substantial increases in revenue, even while reducing smoking. These funds have helped states balance budgets and fund essential services like health care and tobacco prevention programs. Contrary to tobacco industry arguments, cigarette tax increases are a reliable source of revenue. Higher cigarette taxes also save money by reducing smoking-caused health care costs.

Tobacco Tax Radio Ad

Tags: 2009 Session, tobacco excise tax, West Virginia Legislature

And gone if not reported out of committee to the floor in one chamber of the West Virginia Legislature by Monday and passed by one of the legislative chambers by Wednesday. The legislature missing this opportunity will keep West Virginia’s tobacco tax as the 8th lowest in the nation.

Failure to pass the tobacco tax this year means tens-of-thousands of kids will not see price as a deterrent and will begin using tobacco products and many will be addicted for what will be a shortened life. The same can be said for the nearly 20,000 current users who would have quit had the tax increase been implemented.

Also lost will be over $100 million in revenue which could have been utilized to prevent and treat chronic disease in West Virginia and expand health coverage to low-income working people in the state.

There’s still time but it is quickly passing.

Contact you legislators and Governor Manchin in the next 24 hours and ask that they meet this deadline and keep the tobacco tax legislation alive by passing the bill from one chamber next week.

If the health impact does not move them then perhaps the full scope of the 4.6% budget cuts the Governor has announced should be fully understood before the tobacco tax is taken off the table this year.

Action now is critical because if not passed by the House or Senate by Wednesday the legislation is dead for this session.

Tags: 2009 Session, tobacco tax, West Virginia Legislature