Lawmaker seeking $1 hike on cigarettes

Feb 18, 2009 1 min read

TALLAHASSEE (AP) – A South Florida lawmaker is filing legislation that would raise the price on a pack of smokes by a buck.

Sen. Ted Deutsch, a Democrat from Boca Raton, introduced his bill (SB 1840) Wednesday with the hope it will discourage people from smoking and correspondingly reduce the number of illnesses that result from the habit.

Deutsch’s bill would raise an estimated half billion dollars a year. He said some of the proceeds from the increased tobacco tax could be used for cancer research.

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist has been lukewarm to any suggestions of increasing the tax on cigarettes. Florida’s existing tax on a pack of cigarettes, 33.9 cents, is among the lowest in the nation.