Cigarette Taxes in Arkansas
Tax News
There are currently no proposals to increase cigarette taxes in Arkansas.
However, your help is still needed to fight potential federal excise tax increases. Contact your member of congress today and make your voice heard:
- Call your member of congress 1.877.857.8074 (toll-free)
- Email your member of congress
Tax Facts
The excise tax on one pack of cigarettes in Arkansas is currently $0.59.
Take a closer look at the cigarette tax dollars being collected in Arkansas in FY2007.
| Excise Taxes | Sales Taxes | Tobacco Settlement Payments | Total Smoker Payments FY2007 | |
| State: Local: |
$127,394,000 $0 |
$47,940,000 $0 |
$49,900,000 | $225,234,000 |
Total tobacco settlement payments to Arkansas to date (1998-2007): $447,500,000
Economic and Tax Profile of Arkansas Smokers
The impact of smoker payments on the incomes of working families was disproportionately greater — more than THREE TIMES higher — than the impact on the minority of smokers who have higher incomes.
- Arkansas smokers' median household income: $28,599
- Arkansas non-smokers' median household income: $43,270
- 44.8% of Arkansas smokers had household incomes LESS THAN $25,000
- Only 11.7% of Arkansas smokers had household incomes EQUAL TO or GREATER THAN $75,000
Average Tobacco Taxes and Payments
Tax and settlement payment liability paid only by smokers in FY2007 were:
| Total average paid per Arkansas smoker in excise and sales taxes: | $372 | Cost per Arkansas smoker for settlement payments to Arkansas: | $104 |
| Total annual payments to Arkansas per smoker: | $476 |
Smoker Payment Comparisons
Payments by Arkansas smokers in FY2007 were:- Nearly six times FY2007 revenues from alcoholic beverages ($38 million)
- Nearly two and one-half times as large as FY2007 insurance tax revenues ($94.1 million)
- More than 28 times as large as FY2007 corporate franchise tax revenues ($8 million)
- Nearly 17 times as large as FY2007 severance tax revenues ($13.5 million)
Arkansas smoker payments of OVER $227 MILLION were large enough to support FY2007 funding for:
- Game and Fish Commission ($74.7 million) AND Arkansas State University- Jonesboro ($135.9 million)
OR - University of Arkansas-Little Rock ($140.1 million); AND Department of Community Correction ($65.3 million)
OR - Municipal Aid ($117.8 million) AND the State Police ($101.6 million)
Total Smoker Cigarette Payments
click to enlarge image
| Per year: | $225,234,000 |
| Per day: | $616,657 |
| Per hour: | $25,694 |
| Per minute: | $428 |
| Per second: | $7.14 |
Help prevent more state tobacco tax increases.
Call 1.877.857.8074 or email your state representative.
Fight Federal Tobacco Tax Increases
A proposal to fund SCHIP with increased federal cigarette taxes was delayed until March 2009. Learn more about FET tax.
Call 1.877.857.8074 (toll-free)
or email your
member of Congress.
get the facts
How much do you pay?



