New Jersey Legislators Question Raising E-Cigarettes Taxes

Lawmakers argue that raising the tax on electronic cigarettes would impact smokers who are trying to quit tobacco products.

April 17, 2014

MONTCLAIR – New Jersey legislators have been unreceptive to a state budget proposal to apply the $2.70-per-pack cigarette tax to electronic cigarettes, New Jersey Spotlight reports.

The resistance comes as Health Commissioner Mary E. O’Dowd points to the public health benefits from raising the cost of smoking.

“Increasing the cost for the product is a very effective strategy to reducing utilization,” O’Dowd said, who expressed concern that children are using electronic cigarettes. “Our children are using them and these are children who were not necessarily smokers before … This is potentially a new gateway to nicotine addiction.”

Currently, e-cigarettes are only subject to the state’s 7% sales tax. Democratic legislators said it might be premature to impose the tobacco tax on the products.

“It seems like we’re going to catch a lot of people with this price point that will either go elsewhere to buy or will not buy it and continue to smoke a cigarette, which appears to be more harmful,” said Assemblyman John J. Burzichelli.

Assemblyman Joseph Cryan said the state may “jump the gun” in discouraging the use of the products through a tax when it’s possible that they could be helpful in reducing smoking.

And Committee Chairman Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer questioned whether the state had ever raised taxes for an unregulated product due to health concerns.

O’Dowd said e-cigarettes are unique because they’re “clearly potentially harmful to a significant portion of our population, specifically related to providing a vehicle for the delivery of nicotine — a highly addictive drug.”

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