Defeat the Texas Cigarette Tax!
May 5th, 2006 by Brendan SteinhauserCigarette tax increase waits in the wings
By Jason Embry, Corrie MacLaggan
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, May 05, 2006
A proposed $1-per-pack increase in the state’s cigarette tax stalled Thursday as lawmakers haggled over changes to the school finance system.
The delay gave a growing cigarette lobby more time to build its case against the increase.
Gov. Rick Perry proposed and the House last week approved an increase in the cigarette tax from 41 cents per pack to $1.41 to help pay for a one-third reduction in school property tax rates. But the proposal, known as House Bill 5, is yet to emerge from the Senate Finance Committee.
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As for the cigarette taxes, Ogden would not say whether the committee would vote for the $1 increase or a smaller one.
“I’m confident that we can get a cigarette tax bill out of committee,” he said repeatedly.
The rest of the story is here.
