Cigarette Taxes in South Carolina
Higher Taxes Affect You
ALERT: Right now, politicians in South Carolina want to increase the cigarette tax by up to $1.27 per pack. That’s an increase of more than 1800 percent! Now is the time to take action. Contact your elected officials today and make your voice heard:
- Call your elected officials: 1.866.658.8337 (toll-free)
- Email your elected officials
Tax Facts
The excise tax on one pack of cigarettes in South Carolina is currently $0.07.
Take a closer look at the cigarette tax dollars being collected in South Carolina in FY2007.
| Excise Taxes | Sales Taxes | Tobacco Settlement Payments | Total Smoker Payments FY2007 | |
| State: Local: |
$27,554,000 $0 |
$63,057,000 $0 |
$70,800,000 | $161,411,000 |
Total tobacco settlement payments to South Carolina to date (1998-2007): $605,600,000
Economic and Tax Profile of South Carolina 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.
- South Carolina smokers' median household income: $32,726
- South Carolina non-smokers' median household income: $45,627
- 37.4% of South Carolina smokers had household incomes LESS THAN $25,000
- Only 14.5% of South Carolina 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 South Carolina smoker in excise and sales taxes: | $133 | Cost per South Carolina smoker for settlement payments to South Carolina: | $104 |
| Total annual payments to South Carolina per smoker: | $237 |
Smoker Payment Comparisons
Payments by South Carolina smokers in FY2007 were:- Larger than state excise taxes on alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, and liquor) for FY2007 ($155.6 million)
- Larger than FY2007 corporation license and business license tax revenues combined ($96.8 million)
- Larger than FY2007 insurance premium tax revenues ($159.1 million)
South Carolina smoker payments of OVER $160 MILLION were large enough to support FY2007 funding for:
- Child Protective Services ($34.3 million) AND South Carolina State University ($110.2 million)
OR - Department of Public Safety ($151.3 million)
OR - Department of Natural Resources ($85.5 million) AND Infectious Disease Prevention ($65.9 million)
Total Smoker Cigarette Payments
click to enlarge image
| Per year: | $161,411,000 |
| Per day: | $441,919 |
| Per hour: | $18,413 |
| Per minute: | $307 |
| Per second: | $5.11 |
Help prevent more state tobacco tax increases.
Call 1.877.857.8074 or email your state representative.
