SAN FRANCISCO ? Support for a bill that would boost the California state excise tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1 is faltering, Reuters reports. With June 5 less than two weeks away, a new survey found that potential voters are not in favor of Proposition 29.
The Public Policy Institute of California survey discovered that more than half (53%) of possible voters said they supported the increase?down sharply from 67% in March. Forty-two percent surveyed indicated a no vote, and 5% were undecided.
If approved by voters, the bill would raise the state cigarette tax to $1.87 per pack, with the proceeds going to tobacco-use medical research and smoking cessation programs. ?One would have to assume that the ?no? campaign has been successful in raising doubts about this particular measure,? said Mark Baldassare, president/CEO of the Public Policy Institute.
Voters last increased California tobacco taxes in 1998, when a ballot measure was approved raising the cigarette tax by 50 cents per pack. That money went to smoking cessation and childhood development initiatives.
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