A person who smokes one pack of cigarettes a day in New York pays $1,952.75 a year in state cigarette taxes. That is more than $1,890 higher than what a pack a day smoker pays in Missouri, the state with the lowest cigarette tax in the country.
New York Charges $5.35 Per Pack
New York’s state cigarette tax is $5.35 for every pack of 20 cigarettes. That is the highest state cigarette tax in the United States. Over one year, a person who buys one pack each day pays $1,952.75 in New York State cigarette tax. That number does not include the cost of the cigarettes themselves. It also does not include sales tax or local taxes.
New York City Smokers Pay Even More
People who buy cigarettes in New York City pay an added local cigarette tax of $1.50 per pack. That means the state and city cigarette taxes together add up to $6.85 on each pack sold in New York City, before sales tax is added.
Missouri Has the Lowest Tax
Missouri charges just 17 cents in state tax per pack of cigarettes. That works out to $62.05 a year for someone who smokes one pack a day. New York’s state tax is more than 31 times higher than Missouri’s. Maryland had the second highest state cigarette tax at $5 per pack. Rhode Island came in third at $4.50 per pack.
Higher Prices Can Encourage People to Quit
The numbers come as the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout approaches on November 19th. The event encourages people who smoke to make a plan to quit or to begin a quit attempt.
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