Tobacco.org

Not in Kansas Anymore? 

Proposals to increase taxes on cigarettes, tobacco and alcohol would hit convenience stores hard, Thomas Palace, executive director of the Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association of Kansas, told The Topeka Capital-Journal. As the Senate Taxation Committee considered hikes to the state's cigarette and tobacco taxes Wednesday, he joked that he considered wearing a big bull's-eye to the Capitol.

Faced with a deepening budget shortfall that now exceeds $400 million, lawmakers are trying to find ways to close the gap, said the report. The committee heard testimony on a bill that would raise the tax on cigarettes by 55 cents per pack to the national average of $1.34. It also would increase the tax on tobacco products, such as cigars and chewing tobacco, to 40% from 10%. The increased taxes could bring in an estimated $69.5 million in new tax dollars, according to the report..

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