Retailing association to support higher tobacco taxes
The Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association are supporting an increase in the state's 17 cents tax per packet of cigarettes to 40 cents per pack, according to Associated Press.
Currently Missouri has the lowest tax on tobacco sales in the whole of the United States, and two petitions have been presented towards changing that.
Executive Director Ronald J. Leone of the Missouri retail group told the news agency that they supported a reasonable tax increase of 23 cents per pack, instead of the 50 cent increase some groups advocate for.
"We think the unreasonable and outrageous tax increases are going to fail," he said. "People are going to say 'no' to those again like they did in 2002, 2006 and 2012.”
The 23 cent increase in tax could raise more than $800 million for the state´s general revenue, according to Leone. Leone said the added funds would "provide some much needed revenue for our crumbling transportation infrastructure."
