Time to raise tobacco tax?

Parkersburg [W.Va.] News and Sentinel: Lawmakers in Charleston are working to hash out a state budget that is problematic, to say the least. Among the problems is shrinking revenue, a trend not likely to reverse any time soon. Because the budget crisis has reached a level that requires both spending cuts and a search for new sources of revenue, it may be time for legislators to consider means they had hoped to avoid.

For example, it may be time for that $1 increase to the tobacco tax. It has been estimated that doing so would bring in $100 million to $115 million annually.

Critics have suggested raising the tax is a punishment to poor people – smokers with more money will feel less of a pinch when they buy a pack. But the counter to that is simple. Smoking is a habit, and can be broken.

Meanwhile, small businesses in most counties bordering other states need not be as concerned as opponents to the increase suggest. West Virginia’s tobacco tax is already 55 cents; the increase would make it $1.55. That is still five cents per pack lower than Ohio’s or Pennsylvania’s at $1.60.