Saving lives, saving money: A state-by-state report on the health and economic impact of tobacco taxes
Abstract
Each year, tobacco use causes hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and costs billions of dollars in medical care and productivity losses in the United States. Strong tobacco control policies at the state level can help reduce the burden of tobacco use. Saving Lives, Saving Money: A State-by-State Report on the Health and Economic Benefits of Tobacco Taxes, provides new information about the public health and economic benefits to states that increase their cigarette taxes.
Increasing cigarette excise taxes is an evidence-based policy approach to accomplishing the critical public health goals of reducing the number of current and potential smokers. Cigarette taxes are also a powerful economic tool, directly producing sustained increases in state tax revenues and resulting in large savings in health care costs. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) commissioned leading experts to derive updated and expanded estimates for the public health benefits and economic savings of a $1-per-pack increase in the cigarette excise tax in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
These estimates show a $1-per-pack cigarette tax increase in every state and D.C. would result in fewer smokers, smoking-related deaths, and youth who become smokers. In addition, raising cigarette taxes would substantially increase tax revenues and reduce health care costs associated with several smoking-related diseases.
