MA legislative committee amends and recommends huge tobacco tax hikes, mandatory healthcare insurance coverage of NRT

[Bill Godshall]

Yesterday, the MA Legislature's Joint Committee on Health Care Financing amended and recommended passage of legislation (H2452) that would increase the cigarette tax from $2.51 to $3.26/pack, increase the cigar and smoking tobacco tax from 30% to 105% of wholesale price, and increase the smokeless tobacco tax from 90% to 135% of wholesale price; would create and allocate additional tax revenue to tobacco Use Reduction and Prevention Fund; and would require all healthcare insurance policies to cover costs of ineffective NRT and other drug industry products for smoking cessation.
Bill H.2452

The amendment to the bill that was approved yesterday is not yet available, and I don't know where this legislation goes to next.

But if approved, MA would have the highest smokeless tobacco tax in the nation, which would be higher (as a percentage of retail price) than MA's cigarette tax.

At least the legislation doesn't tax e-cigarettes.

 

[Vocalek]

Don't give them any ideas.

 

[dordas23]

Good news for vapers, bad news for Massachusetts tobacco-lovers. Probably sales of tobacco in surrounding states will go up again.

 

[frosting]

I get the feeling we'll be getting some new vapers from Mass rather shortly Yay!!!

 

[Stubby]

I get the feeling we'll be getting some new vapers from Mass rather shortly Yay!!!

So you are giving a yay to raising the tax on smokeless tobacco. That's a bad move. This bill would discourage people from making the switch from smoking to smokeless, and would also encourage current smokeless tobacco users to start smoking (like from the black market). It shows a very shallow understanding of what tobacco harm reduction is about, and a good deal of fanboyism.