Florida cigarette sales down after price hike

Sep 8, 2009 1 min read

TALLAHASSEE (AP) – Florida’s higher cigarette tax appears to have sent sales downward and prompted some buyers to cross state lines.

The latest state figures show a 28 percent drop in the sale of cigarette packs in July versus the same month a year earlier. From June to July, sales were sales were down 17 percent.

Florida’s previous 34-cents-a-pack cigarette tax was among the nation’s lowest. It went up to $1.34 July 1.

Sellers across the state line in Georgia are reporting brisk sales. A trade group representing state gas stations and convenience stores says those retailers have taken a hit and layoffs linked to the tax hike are inevitable