Today, more and more smokers are willing to deny themselves in something, just to buy cigarettes. For example, an increase of cigarette prices affected the sales of spirits and beer.
"The more expensive are cigarettes, the less alcohol people drink" — experts said. The more expensive tobacco products are, the less people are spending money on alcohol. To this conclusion came American scientists from the University of Washington, who have decided to research what consequences entails an increase of cigarette cost.
Laws in the United States prohibit smoking in enclosed spaces (except personal homes), as well as the higher taxes on cigarettes, which led to the the rise in price for tobacco products. Researchers from Washington confirmed that these measures have achieved the goals — the number of smokers in country has dropped dramatically. The less number of smokers was registered in those states where act the strictest anti-smoking bans.
Was also proved that the rise in cigarettes cost led to a drop in demand for alcoholic beverages. Thus, the increase in the average price of tobacco products by 20% caused a drop in beer sales by 4%, and alcoholic beverages by as much as 11%. It turns out that smokers seem to prefer save money on alcohol, in order to buy cigarettes. Only wine consumption remained at the same level. According to experts, this is due the fact that the main consumers of wine are non smokers.
While in some states in America be a smoker is more profitable than to drink, but if the bills of Tobacco Tax rise will pass, all may change. Since the beginning of March are considering bills in 19 state legislatures, that would increase cigarette and/or tobacco tax increases.
According to this bills cigarette prices may rise, the following states have bills introduced:
- Alabama — by $0.32 per pack
- California — by $2.00 per pack
- Kansas — by $1.50 per pack /excise tax to 25%
- Kentucky — would add 60 cents / the tobacco tax rate will increase to 40%
- Maryland — $1.00 per pack / the tobacco tax rate will increase to 76%
- Mississippi — $0.50 per pack
- New Jersey — tax tobacco products at 90%
- New York — $1.65 per pack
- North Dakota — cigarette by $0.44 per pack
- Ohio — by $1.00 per pack / 60% increases the tobacco product tax
- Oklahoma — by $1.00 per pack
- Oregon — from $1.00 per pack to $1.50 per pack
- Pennsylvania — 65 cents per ounce
- Rhode Island — by $1.00 per pack
- Vermont — cigarette tax by $1.25 per pack
- Virginia — $1.70 per pack
- Washington — by $0.50 per pack
- West Virginia — from $0.50 per pack to $1.00 per pack
- Wyoming — by $0.65 per pack.
If the Tobacco Tax rise bills will pass, even savings on alcohol will not help smokers to buy cigarettes, because the prices will be so high, that not every smoker will afford to buy his favorite cigarettes brand. Buy cigarettes online!