A 400 percent increase in North Dakota’s tax on cigarettes (and a big hike on other tobacco products, which are defined by the measure to include vaping) has been placed on the November ballot by a coalition of busybodies calling themselves Raise It For Health. A group that, curiously, has reported zero contributions or expenditures…
North Dakota Tobacco Use Rates Are Inconvenient For Anti-Tobacco Crusaders
According to a report from Robin Huebner, North Dakota is “third worst” (from the perspective of opposing tobacco use, I suppose) in terms of smokeless tobacco use. But the state is in the middle of the pack when it comes to cigarette use: Statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that…
Legislature Kills Another Tobacco Tax Hike, Will It Go To The Ballot?
The state Senate killed another tobacco tax hike today. This time it was SB2322, introduced by Senator Tim Mathern (D-Fargo). Like Rep. Jon Nelson’s bill in the House, which failed by a wide margin last week, Mathern’s bill also flopped. The vote was 17-30 against. [mks_pullquote align=”right” width=”300″ size=”24″ bg_color=”#000000″ txt_color=”#ffffff”]The crusade by anti-tobacco zealots really…
Lesson For North Dakota: Tobacco Smuggling Spikes In Minnesota After Tax Hike
Last week I wrote a post about proposed tobacco tax hikes being considered by lawmakers in Bismarck. I cited research by the Mackinac Center which indicated that higher taxes result in higher rates in smuggling, and that raising the tobacco taxes here in North Dakota would almost certainly create a dilemma for those tasked with enforcing…
LaFaive And Nesbit: Raising ND Tobacco Tax Could Lead To Rampant Smuggling
Michael LaFaive is director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Todd Nesbit, Ph.D., is senior lecturer in economics at Ohio State University. Two proposals to hike the state excise tax on cigarettes in Bismarck between $1.10 and $1.56 may very well yield the state more revenue, but it will…