Letter: Tobacco tax would save lives, money

There is no doubt that there is a lot of merit in a tobacco tax increase. Every state that has increased its tobacco tax by a significant amount has experienced a substantial decrease in tobacco use and an increase in revenue.

A $1 per pack tobacco increase could save the state of Louisiana an estimated $29.55 million in five-year health-care costs due to fewer smoking-affected pregnancies and births, fewer smoking-caused heart attacks and strokes and fewer smoking-caused lung cancer cases.

The health of our citizens would improve, too. A $1 increase could prevent 35,800 kids from becoming addicted to smoking and save 21,900 Louisiana residents from premature smoking-caused death.

The increased tax could have an even-stronger impact if Gov. Bobby Jindal and the Louisiana Legislature would choose to use the increased revenue, an estimated $223 million, to protect critical health-care programs. I support the American Heart Association’s efforts to increase the Louisiana tobacco tax.

Dr. Jay Brooks, chairman

Ochsner Baton Rouge, Hematology/Oncology

Baton Rouge

Comments

1) Comment by InPVille - 05/02/2013

This is what happens when you decide it is necessary to protect people from the consequences of their actions in this area (smoking/health care) and in a growing number of other areas. Protect people from their own stupidity/risky behavior, and you get more stupid people and risk takers.

2) Comment by DMJ - 04/02/2013

Taxation as a disincentive, eh? Not a bad idea. They should do this with guns/ammo and gasoline as well. They won't, but they should.

3) Comment by nimby? - 04/02/2013

certain states that increased their tobaccos taxes , projecting windfall experienced deficits forcing cuts in areas while neighboring states enjoyed the increase . certain states that have raised taxes also restrict limits on the number of cartons brought in from other states . reminds me of back when Coors could only be bought west of the Mississippi .

4) Comment by phil - 04/02/2013

Let's get folks addicted to other drugs and then raise the tax on them too. This sounds like a general good solution for all of our financial problems. I guess nobody sees the problem with this method? By the way, I used to smoke a pack a day years ago and quit when they got to a dollar a pack. You CAN quit if you really try. How about we pass a "dumb" tax for legislators? Every time they pass a dumb law, we get to tax them $10,000 each.

5) Comment by Tea_Slayer - 04/02/2013

how do automobiles get dragged into every discussion? [e-mail]: for your information, cars are regulated and "taxed' in that you must get a safety inspection annually and you must have liability insurance.

6) Comment by [e-mail] - 04/02/2013

Mr. Brooks seems to have data that admirably supports his argument; metric driven? I don't want to cast doubt on it, but they do seem convenient. I don't use tobacco products myself, but I can't see denying somebody else the right to use them, or to make them pay for somebody else's problems just because they use the product. Cars kill more people than anything else, why not start with them?

7) Comment by Bighug - 04/02/2013

I agree with increasing the tobacco tax, but how do we know how much a $1 per pack tax would decrease smoking. People I know who are barely able to come up with money for mortgage payments will still buy cigarettes at $4 per pack. Some would probably lose their home before giving up tobacco.