Cigarette Tax Hike | featured news

Poor smokers in New York spend 25% of their income on cigarettes, a new study finds. The state has the nation's highest cigarette tax and a pack there can cost up to $12 (though many smokers buy cheaper packs online). Wealthier smokers feel the sting less: those earning $60,000 a year or more spend just 2% of their money on cigarettes. Smokers' rights groups say the taxes punish poor smokers but health officials say they help many people quit.

Adding a $1 per pack tax to cigarettes could raise more than $9 billion a year for states, health advocates said on Wednesday, and a poll released with the study shows Americans would support such a tax.