BRACK: Time to double the cigarette tax 

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher  |  Take a guess at the number of cigarettes smoked every year in South Carolina. 

If your answer is about 5 billion, then you’re in the right ballpark – no foolin’.

Some 18% of South Carolina adults smoke, according to data from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. (A national report puts it at 12.5%.)  Regardless, the rate dropped slightly from 19.2 percent in 2007, but since then, vaping has become a thing.  The state says e-cigarette use first was tracked in 2014 when 6.2% of adults vaped; now, it’s more like 6.7%.

So while the numbers of smokers are high – somewhere between 650,000 and 900,000, depending on the source – so, too, are the health risks.  

“Using combustible, commercial tobacco products is known to cause Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, COPD and several types of cancer,” a DHEC spokesman said this week.  “Vaping is known to cause changes in adolescent brains that predispose them to mood disorders, anxiety and an increased risk of future addiction to opioids.”

And then there are the costs to society.  On the plus side, South Carolina receives $134 million a year in taxes from 235 million packs of cigarettes sold.  Each pack of 20 has a tax of 57 cents – the fifth lowest rate in the nation.  The General Assembly last raised the cigarette tax in 2010 after a long battle.  

But the state’s sin tax on cigarettes doesn’t even come close to covering the costs of smoking to every resident.  Annual health care costs in South Carolina directly caused by smoking are $2.21 billion, according to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK).  Furthermore, Medicaid costs caused by smoking in South Carolina are $511.6 billion.  Essentially, that means every household’s tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures is $968 a year. 

So when you consider that 82 percent of adults are subsidizing the smoking-related health care for those who won’t give up smoking, doesn’t it seem like it’s a smart idea to reduce the burden of the majority by calling on those who choose to smoke to pay more for their addiction?

At a minimum, it’s time for the General Assembly to double the state cigarette tax to $1.14 per pack. That would generate another $134 million annually to allow the state to take more  proactive measures to reduce smoking – and to pay for some of the state’s costs in dealing with this unhealthy addiction.

Smokers who might scream, “That’s not fair,” might want to consider that it’s really not fair for more than 80% of residents to pay for health and societal costs related to their smoking.    What’s more, think about how much money smokers will save. With cigarettes costing $5 to $6 per pack depending on the brand, smokers who burn five packs a week will save up to $1,500 a year – more than enough for a relaxing week-long vacation at a South Carolina beach.

Not only would raising the cigarette tax act as a disincentive for people to smoke and lower the rate of smokers, it would save lives.  Currently, about 7,200 South Carolinians die each year from smoking.  According to CTFK estimates, about 103,000 of South Carolina’s kids under 18 will die prematurely from smoking – if the rates remain the same.

If you’re trying to quit smoking now – and extend your life and save some money – you might want to talk with the folks at SC Tobacco Quitline (800-QUIT-NOW) to get customized tobacco cessation support.

Andy Brack, recognized as the state’s best columnist in 2022 by the S.C. Press Association, is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report and the Charleston City Paper.  Have a comment? Send to feedback@statehousereport.com.