Proposed bi-partisan bill would increase Georgia’s tobacco tax

ATLANTA — A pack of cigarettes in Georgia could soon become more expensive.

Channel 2′s Richard Elliott has learned there’s a bi-partisan push at the capitol to raise the tobacco tax by 20 cents.

Currently, the tobacco tax in Georgia on a pack of cigarettes is 37 cents.

The proposed bill would raise the tobacco tax to 57 cents per pack.

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It’s a significant increase, but still way short of the national average, $1.91 of tax per pack.

Some Republicans and Democrats are working together to get it passed.

Savannah Republican Ron Stephens showed off a draft of his bill to Channel 2′s Richard Elliott.

Georgia’s tobacco tax hasn’t been increased in 20 years.

“I don’t know if you know this, but Georgia has one of the lowest tobacco taxes in the nation,” Johns Creek Democrat Michelle Au said. “The second thing that it does, it actually disincentivizes harmful health behavior and decreases healthcare costs overall.”

Au is one of the sponsors of the bill. She’s also an anesthesiologist and sees the dangers of smoking first-hand.

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For her, it’s more about public health than a revenue stream.

Stephens guesses Georgians pay about $900 a year in taxes for subsidized healthcare.

He thinks this tax increase on cigarettes sold could generate $90 million yearly. But to get more support, he wants an offset equal to that amount.

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“It’s about if we can fix this so it’s an offset,” Stephens said. “An inverse to the tobacco tax and putting back into the healthcare community, especially rural healthcare. It’s a win-win for everybody.”

This bill, which is still being drafted, would also include a fee for vaping products, which lawmakers consider the same healthcare risk as cigarettes.

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