Cigarette Taxes in Mississippi

Tax News

ALERT: Right now, politicians in Mississippi want to increase the cigarette tax by up to $1.00 per pack (Senate Bill 3071). 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 Mississippi is currently $0.18.


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


Excise Taxes Sales Taxes Tobacco Settlement Payments Total Smoker Payments FY2007
State:
Local:
 $46,500,000
$0		 $62,258,000
$0		 $123,000,000 $231,758,000


Total tobacco settlement payments to Mississippi to date (1998-2007): $1,644,000,000


Economic and Tax Profile of Mississippi 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.

  • Mississippi smokers' median household income: $26,361
  • Mississippi non-smokers' median household income: $37,070
  • 48% of Mississippi smokers had household incomes LESS THAN $25,000
  • Only 12.5% of Mississippi 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 Mississippi smoker in excise and sales taxes: $201
Cost per Mississippi smoker for settlement payments to Mississippi: $228
Total annual payments to Mississippi per smoker: $429

Smoker Payment Comparisons

Payments by Mississippi smokers in FY2007 were:
  • More than twice as large as FY2007 alcoholic beverage, beer, and wine tax receipts ($96.9 million)
  • Larger than FY2007 insurance premium taxes ($176 million)
    • More than four times as large as FY2007 oil severance tax revenues ($48.6 million)
  • Nearly twice as large as FY2007 privilege tax for auto tag fees ($117.8 million)

Mississippi smoker payments of OVER $231 MILLION were large enough to support FY2007 funding for:
  • Community and Junior Colleges ($192.1 million)
    OR
  • University Medical Center ($182.6 million) AND Highway Safety Patrol ($41.7 million)
    OR
  • Private Prisons ($73.7 million) AND Conservation ($52.9 million) AND Public Health ($48.7 million) AND Economic Development ($25.2 million)


Total Smoker Cigarette Payments

Average Cigarette Profits
click to enlarge image
Per year: $231,758,000
Per day: $634,519
Per hour: $26,438
Per minute: $441
Per second: $7.34


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