BATON ROUGE –
Louisiana Rep. Harold Ritchie withdrew his measure that would have raised the
cigarette tax by $105 per pack from its current 36 cents per pack, the Monroe
News Star reports. The proposal also would have jacked up the tax on cigars and
other tobacco products threefold.
Ritchie said he
made the move when he felt that the Louisiana
House Ways and Means Committee was leaning towards
sinking the bill after an hour of testimony and review. “I’m a good vote
counter,” said Ritchie, indicating he knew not enough committee members would
vote for the bill
The state’s
convenience store owners told the committee how such a move would likely
trigger store closures and worker reductions. Supporters said raising the
state’s tobacco tax would contribute to lower smoking among adults and youth.
Two other
cigarette tax hike measures by Reps. Kirk Talbot and Katrina Jackson were put on
hold after Ritchie yanked his bill. Talbot’s proposal would bump the cigarette
tax up 32 cents to 68 cents per tax with the funds designated for Medicaid.