If You Smoke, Prepare To Dig Deeper

Smokers in Louisiana will soon be paying more for their favorite brand. The tax on a pack of smokes will increase by 50 cents, effective July 1st. KLFY reports there will also be a 5 cent per milliliter tax increase on the fluids used in e-cigarettes.  Gerri Simon, co-owner of Swamp Vapor in Lafayette, says,  “We should not be included in this tax at all. We did everything we could to influence our politicians but we fell short.”

It seems like people on both sides are unhappy, but for different reasons.

Stasha Rhodes, The American Heart Association’s Louisiana Advocacy Director, said, “Louisiana fell short of a tobacco tax that could have positively impacted our state’s youth. Tobacco tax higher than $1.00 is a proven method of deterring youth from taking up the smoking habit.”