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• New Hampshire health advocates support regional cigarette tax increase 

Supporters of a plan to increase the cigarettes tax by 50 cents a pack across New England said Thursday they are confident about succeeding in New Hampshire, despite the Legislature's refusal to pass a much smaller increase last spring.

Lawmakers increased the tax 15 cents to 52 cents per pack 11/2 years ago to help cover a budget shortfall created by the state's new school funding plan. But they balked at hiking it another 10 cents in March.

The new plan, proposed by an alliance of doctors and public health advocates, would dedicate the tax money to smoking prevention programs and increasing access to health care. Members of the Alliance for a Healthy New England said the increase would save more than 19,000 lives regionwide, while raising $80 million in New Hampshire that could be used for a prescription drug plan for the elderly and provide health insurance for poor children. . .

But it remains to be seen which of the six states will make the first move. Alliance members said they have not yet found a lawmaker to sponsor a bill in New Hampshire, nor do they plan to encourage states to make enactment of the tax increase contingent on the each other. That could be a stumbling block in New Hampshire, where one argument against tobacco tax increases is ensuring the state doesn't lose the lucrative business of Maine and Massachusetts smokers, who buy cheaper cigarettes in New Hampshire.

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