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Montana committee hears $1‑per‑pack cigarette tax increase amid split on economic and public‑health effects
Summary
Rep. Melody Cunningham told the Appropriations Committee that a $1 tax increase on cigarettes would lower youth initiation and offset health‑care costs; retailers said the jump is regressive, risks smuggling and poses technical stamp‑implementation challenges. The committee heard competing fiscal and public‑health evidence but took no final vote in this hearing.
Representative Melody Cunningham, the bill sponsor, asked the Appropriations Committee to raise Montana’s cigarette tax from $1.70 to $2.70 per pack, saying public‑health research and state cost estimates justify the increase. "A dollar per pack is the lowest amount that you can raise tax and still by studies see economic and health benefits," Cunningham said during the hearing.
Opponents, led by Brad Longcake of the Montana Petroleum Marketers and…
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