Tobacco tax dies in committee

CHEYENNE — A bill to increase the tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products failed in the Revenue Committee on a 4-5 vote as the Wyoming Legislative Session entered its fourth week.

The bill would have, according to the Legislative Service Office, increased the “excise tax on cigarettes by a total of 5 cents per cigarette, or $1 per pack of 20 cigarettes, increasing the tax from $0.60 per pack to $1.60 per pack. This bill would also increase the excise tax on moist snuff from $0.60 per ounce to $1.60 per ounce, and increase the excise tax on cigars, snuff and other tobacco products by 166 2/3 percent.”

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) supported the $1 cigarette tax increase. Jason Mincer, ACS CAN Wyoming government relations director said the tax increased would have “proven to reduce tobacco use, save lives and reduce health care costs.” ACS CAN was also working with lawmakers to amend the bill to include a tax on e-cigarettes given the alarming rates of use among teens.

“Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, and Wyoming struggles with high smoking rates among adults and teens. Teen use of e-cigarettes is also way above average in the state with nearly 30 percent of high schoolers using these products, yet we have one of the lowest cigarette taxes in the country,” said Mincer. “Until our state passes a significant cigarette tax increase of at least $1 per pack with an equivalent increase on other tobacco products, Wyoming residents will continue to bear the burden of low tobacco prices and the high taxpayer cost of treating tobacco-related disease.”

“While ACS CAN is disappointed in today’s outcome, we will continue working with the Legislature to pass a strong tobacco tax increase that saves lives and reduces the devastating financial and physical toll of tobacco use on our great state,” Mincer added.

Wyoming’s current cigarette tax is 60 cents per pack, ranking it 44th in the nation. The national average is $1.79 per pack of cigarettes. The state has not raised its cigarette tax since 2003.

The bill, House Bill 218, had been sponsored in part by Representatives Dan Zwonitzer (R-Cheyenne) and Bob Nicholas (R-Cheyenne).

The tobacco tax is one of several tax bills considered by the Wyoming Legislature this year.

The lodging tax bill, which moved quickly through the House during the early part of the Wyoming Legislative Session was received for introduction by the Senate last Tuesday but has yet to be assigned a committee. The bill would create a 5 percent statewide lodging tax.

A state income tax bill died in committee and several other tax bills are awaiting committee assignment or awaiting debate in committee. See related stories on page 6.

CLOSED PRIMARIES

In other legislation, a second bill to attempt to prohibit changing political party affiliation has been introduced. The bill states, “No elector may change party affiliation between the period of time beginning two weeks before the first day absentee ballots may be distributed under W.S. 229107 through the day of the primary election.”

Senate File 160 was introduced and referred to the Senate Agriculture Committee on Monday.

Senate File 32 was introduced and was killed by the Senate Corporations Committee on a 2-3 vote on Jan. 22. That bill had a longer period of time where changing party affiliation would be prohibited — from the start of the filing period through the day of the primary election.

In an article in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, via the Wyoming News Exchange, bill sponsor Sen. Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, carried SF 32 to stop what he called “party raiding” against Republicans. He and others claimed there was widespread abuse of the rules by Democrats who switched parties to obstruct the choices of Republicans.

“It needs to be fixed. If this kind of stuff continues – the gaming of the system continues – it’s really going to taint the overall process,” Biteman said. “Hopefully, this year was an outlier. It has always happened – switching and strategic voting has always happened – but it hasn’t been as overt and in your face (as) this year. Hopefully, that will subside.”

Biteman is also the sponsor of SF 160.