02:49, 2008-Mar-21
Chances of passage this year of a proposed cigarette tax increase virtually disappear with Sen. Hob Bryan's decision not to act on the House's bill in the Senate's Public Health Committee, which he chairs.
Bryan, a Democrat from Amory, said Tuesday he remains committed to a cigarette tax increase but believes the better strategy is to wait until the 2009 session. Bryan believes there’s no chance for approval in the Senate, where the bill is also referred to the Finance Committee, chaired by tax opponent Dean Kirby, R-Pearl.
Bryan reasons that calling the bill for consideration in his committee is fruitless because both committees must approve it for floor action.
We believe even minimal action retains the issue’s visibility and ultimate viability by putting people on the record on both sides of the vote.
Gov. Barbour’s special tax study committee is expected to make recommendations about revenue and tax policy before the next session. It is that context, plus another year of experience for newly elected senators, that makes Bryan believe waiting is better.
We disagree.
A delay is a delay, and waiting another year offers no guarantees. Former Sen. Tommy Robertson, R-Moss Point, opposed a cigarette tax increase and blocked action as Finance Committee chairman in 2007 on grounds it would fail. He lost a bid for re-election.
While Bryan is an unequivocal supporter of the cigarette tax increase and Robertson was a staunch opponent, the result of their posture as committee chairmen is the same: The bill is dead without action.
The House's significant majority passage of the tax increase included "yes" votes by freshmen representatives. Does that mean House members mature faster than senators?
The legislation would increase the cigarette tax, now at 18 cents per pack, by $1 per pack. Our state is 49th in cigarette taxes. Taxation would increase the price of cigarettes, discouraging smoking and ultimately the health problems associated with it.
It makes sense to increase the cigarette tax to shore up the Medicaid budget. Medicaid needs an immediate infusion of $90 million to make ends meet, and additional, increased funding will be required in the 2008-2009 budget cycle.
The rationale in adopting a higher cigarette tax is simple: Mississippi's Medicaid budget bears a heavy load paying for tobacco-induced illnesses. Tax the product that is the greatest cause.
The alternative proposed by Gov. Barbour and supported by Bryan, among others, is a fee/tax on hospitals, the institutions treating illnesses related to tobacco use, mainly cigarette smoking. We oppose that tax.
We hope Bryan - a progressive and innovative leader in the Senate since 1984 - rethinks the strategy.
The cigarette tax revenue is needed this year.