The January cigarette tax increase is not generating as much revenue as expected, according to state officials Friday, though supporters said it is forcing people to quit smoking.
Documents from the state Department of Revenue show the March 2008 collections were over $40 million, up from $22 million last year. The tax raised cigarette prices to $1.77 per pack from $0.77 per pack.
However, collections would have to be around 11 percent higher for each remaining month in the fiscal year to reach the amount projected in the state budget, said Rob Reinhardt, a program supervisor at the state Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
Reinhardt said it was too early to estimate if the tax would continue to not earn as much as expected, as only a few months' worth of data are available, but collections do need to increase.
He said the cigarette tax was meant to generate $449 million in the budget.
Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of SmokeFree Wisconsin, said the tax is working because more people are not smoking. She said 20,000 people called the state hotline intended to help people quit in only a few months.
Busalacchi said the cigarette tax also helps to stop young people from starting to smoke.
Carla Vigue, spokesperson for Gov. Jim Doyle, said the most important part of the tax was to help people to stop smoking, even if revenues are less.
Doyle made the cigarette tax a major part of his budget proposal earlier in the year and supports a statewide smoking ban.
The Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association has previously stated the tax leads people to buy cigarettes online or on tribal areas. Opponents of the tax in the state Legislature also stated during the budget process that it disproportionably affects poor residents.
Poll shows support for smoking ban
A Friday poll from St. Norbert College said 52 percent of residents want a statewide smoking ban, including taverns and bars.
Almost 70 percent would support a ban if taverns were exempted or given a phase-in period to comply.
Vigue said Doyle would call a special session of the Legislature to pass a ban if lawmakers reach a deal, but there have been no recent breakthroughs in negotiations.
Busalacchi said legislative leaders have not been open to passing a ban, but the recent passage of bans in cities around the state show communities support it.
