COLOMBIA, SC – During a South Carolina Hospital Association-sponsored debate last week among South Carolina’s five gubernatorial candidates, the issue of raising the state’s lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax received spirited attention, The State reports.
The hospital association has long lobbied the state to raise its cigarette tax, applying the revenue to pay for healthcare for low-income residents.
The three Democratic candidates favored raising the tax, with one proposing that the increase match the national average of $1.34 a pack.
One Republican disagreed with any type of tax increase, while a second said that he would favor a cigarette tax increase only if it included an equal tax cut.