The Malloy budget proposes an additional 45 cents per pack tax on cigarettes which studies show have higher rates of use in poorer communities who are addicted to the product. The tax is being billed as a way to recoup money the state so desperately needs and as a public health benefit. However, economic burdens on addicts will only further cripple the people who need cessation help the most. The latest Democratic ploy to infringe on personal choice comes in the form of House Bill 7314. This is an act concerning a potential once cent per ounce tax on any beverage which has added sweetener, to go toward “health related causes.”
