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ROBINSON: Should South Carolina raise its cigarette tax 

By the new proposal, when cigarette use declines, less money would be available for the schools.

We can imagine the bumper stickers we’ll see if education in the state is primarily funded by the lottery and cigarette tax money: “I smoke and gamble to that your kid can be smarter.”

A third option would be to use the extra money from a cigarette tax increase as part of the state’s general fund, giving our legislators a free hand to direct the dollars to where they are needed most.

So what do you think? Go to www.theeasleyprogress.com and vote. You will be given four options. One would be not to raise the cigarette tax in South Carolina. The other three would be to raise the tax and direct it to healthcare, schools or the state’s general fund.

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