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Cigarette Taxes in Illinois

Higher Taxes Affect You

ALERT:Right now, some politicians in Illinois want to increase the cigarette tax by as much as $1.00 per pack. That’s an increase of more than 100 percent! Now is the time to take action. Contact your elected officials today and make your voice heard:



Tax Facts

The excise tax on one pack of cigarettes in Illinois is currently $0.98.


Take a closer look at the cigarette tax dollars being collected in Illinois in FY2007.


Excise Taxes Sales Taxes Tobacco Settlement Payments Total Smoker Payments FY2007
State:
Local:
$611,785,000
$221,697,690
$169,164,000
$53,590,000
$280,300,000 $1,336,536,690


Total tobacco settlement payments to Illinois to date (1998-2007): $2,392,500,000


Economic and Tax Profile of Illinois 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.

  • Illinois smokers' median household income: $38,080
  • Illinois non-smokers' median household income: $51,766
  • 32.5% of Illinois smokers had household incomes LESS THAN $25,000
  • Only 20.7% of Illinois 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 Illinois smoker in excise and sales taxes: $554
Cost per Illinois smoker for settlement payments to Illinois: $147
Total annual payments to Illinois per smoker: $701

Smoker Payment Comparisons

Payments by Illinois smokers in FY2007 were:
  • Nearly nine times larger than the estimated FY2007 liquor gallonage taxes ($153 million)
  • Nearly seven times larger than FY2007 estimated corporate franchise taxes and fees ($196 million)
  • More than five times as large as estimated FY2007 inheritance tax collections ($255 million)
  • Larger than Illinois’ estimated FY2007 riverboat gaming taxes ($792 million)

Illinois smoker payments of OVER $1.3 BILLION were large enough to support FY2007 funding for:
  • Illinois Department of Corrections ($1.216 billion)
    OR
  • Illinois Department of Children and Family Services ($1.326 billion)
    OR
  • Illinois Department on Aging ($509.7 million) AND Southern Illinois University ($701.6 million)


Total Smoker Cigarette Payments

Average Cigarette Profits
click to enlarge image
Per year: $1,336,536,690
Per day: $3,659,238
Per hour: $152,468
Per minute: $2,541
Per second: $42.35


Help prevent more state tobacco tax increases.
Call 1.877.857.8074 or email your state representative.