Democrats in the Idaho House vaulted a majority-party stonewall on Monday, holding an informational hearing on their proposed cigarette tax legislation after being denied an official House hearing.
The bill, which was not given a number because it has not been officially introduced, would increase the state tax per pack by $1.25, to $1.82 per pack. According to the bill's fiscal note, it would provide $50 million in additional revenue to the state's general fund.
Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, said the intent is to use the money to offset the cost of smoking-related illnesses to the state Medicaid program. Medicaid has been cut by $39 million for fiscal year 2012, resulting in a total loss of $108 million to the program because of lost federal funding.
Michelle Long, a nurse at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Boise, said she supports the tax, which she said would take aim against the "human cost" of smoking.
As a nurse, Long said, she saw many veterans who suffered from smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a category of lung diseases that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
'These patients suffocate to death," she said. "The human cost [of smoking] is a significant factor that needs to be addressed."
However, not all those who testified at Monday's informational hearing spoke in favor. Andrea Jackson, president of the Meridian-based chain of service stations called Jackson Food Stores, said the tax was unfair and would put a dent in the chain's sales.
"About 25 percent of our inside sales come from tobacco," Jackson said, adding that the profit margin was already "very low" on cigarettes.
Jackson also argued that such a tax would discriminate against smokers.
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