H 32°, L 7° | Tomorrow: 
H 17°, L 4°In addition to the price increase caused by the federal government,
The state increased the tax on each pack of cigarettes by $1 last year.
On the national level, the federal cigarette tax increased by 62 cents, for a total tax of $1.01 per pack, at the beginning of the month.
While Doyle spokesperson Carla Vigue declined to comment on the chances of the tax increase being included in the governor’s proposal, she said the increase in state taxes last year was very effective in encouraging citizens to kick their habit.
“More people called the state quit line during the first week of the year than we usually have call the entire year,” Vigue said. “Record numbers of people quit smoking.”
Maureen Busalacchi, director of Smoke Free Wisconsin, said her organization would support a significant increase in cigarette prices.
According to Busalacchi, increases often have the greatest effect on vulnerable sectors of the population, including children, the poor and pregnant women.
“If you don’t raise it high enough, you haven’t motivated people to quit, which is what the real goal of the policy is,” Busalacchi said.
Critics of the plan argue the tax should not be used as a way to raise revenue for the state, instead urging the governor to look for inefficiencies within the state.
Rep. Phil Montgomery,
“We’ve lost almost $250 million to failed [information technology] contracts, why can we not look to fix some of those things … before we increase taxes on cigarettes,”
“If they’re going to increase cigarette taxes, they should increase the tax on alcohol,” Crickman said.
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Land of the free, my a*@! I’m at an age where I’m so sick of ‘do-gooder’ organizations blowing into each state and lobbying to force their views, ideas and way of thinking on us. For our own good, of course. Right! It will soon be Orson Well’s book “1984”. Government will totally control every aspect of your life. I like smoking, am poor and disabled. What raising the price will do is create a black market for cigarettes. I’m already looking. There will of course be a low percentage of smokers who will quite. But either way, you will find your tax revenue reduced. Also, I can see the crime rate going up. Poor people who can’t afford anything else smoke. They are still going to smoke, it being one of lifes few pleasures. When they can’t afford their other bills because a greater percentage of their limited money is going to cigarettes, they will be “creative” in obtaining the money they need to exist.
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Thanks for nothing Doyle. You are all about taxes, taxes, and more taxes. I’m glad you live a good life and don’t have to worry about anything you enjoy. You make good money (probably more than you should) and don’t have a care in the world. Thanks for taking the last pleasure smoker’s have away from us.