HB 443/SB 589, sponsored by Delegate Luedtke and Senator Jones-Rodwell, proposes to raise the taxes on tobacco by 50% for manufactured cigarettes and 316% for other tobacco products.  The House bill has over 50 co-sponsors.  The bill’s title is, “Tobacco Taxes - Healthy Maryland Initiative”.  For fiscal years 2016 and beyond, the budget is to include $21,000,000 for:

(1) Media campaigns aimed at reducing smoking initiation and  encouraging smokers to quit smoking;
(2) Media campaigns educating the public about the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure;
(3) Enforcement of existing laws banning the sale or distribution of tobacco products to minors;
(4) Promotion and implementation of smoking cessation programs; and
(5) Implementation of school–based tobacco education programs.

The current rate is $2.00 per pack of cigarettes – this bill proposes a $3.00/pack tax rate.

For other tobacco products, the tax rate rises to 95% of the wholesale price of the tobacco products, up from 30%.  This bill was introduced last year and died in committee.

This bill is in two committees in the House:

Send email to the House Health and Government Operations Committee

(Click the send email icon now to pre-populate all the committee members’ email addresses in your default email client.)

Send email to the House Ways and Means Committee

(Click the send email icon now to pre-populate all the committee members’ email addresses in your default email client.)

and one committee in the Senate:

Send email to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee

(Click the send email icon now to pre-populate all the committee members’ email addresses in your default email client.)

Print PDF