Excise Taxes

State

Colorado tobacco tax generates $16.9M for uninsured healthcare (CO)
The Colorado Department of Health Care and Policy recently announced that $16.9 million in tobacco tax-generated funds will be distributed to thirty-two healthcare providers serving uninsured Coloradans. An additional $15 million gained through the tax increase was diverted to state Medicare programs earlier this year. This stems from a 2004 vote where Coloradans approved increasing tobacco taxes to finance the Primary Care Fund, which supports health services to Coloradans that are not eligible for health assistance programs like Medicaid. Click here to read more.

Will Guam senators raise tobacco taxes too? (Guam)
Since Guam’s governor signed a smokefree law in November, there has been speculation on whether the legislature will pass another anti-smoking proposal. The proposal, Bill 150, would raise taxes on cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco. The bill was introduced in June, and debates have shown that the legislature is divided in its support for the policy. Local doctors have campaigned for a sharp tax increase to encourage smokers to quit. One third of adults in Guam are smokers. Read more here, or click here to see the text of the proposed bill.

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