Cigarette Taxes in Utah
Tax News
ALERT: Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. is proposing an incredible $2.30 per pack cigarette tax increase as a way to eliminate the state's grocery tax. The tax singles out smokers to pay for tax relief for state citizens. Contact your elected officials today and make your voice heard:
- Call your state representatives: 1.866.658.8337 (toll-free)
- Email your state representatives
Tax Facts
The excise tax on one pack of cigarettes in Utah is currently $0.695.
Take a closer look at the cigarette tax dollars being collected in Utah in FY2008.
| Excise Taxes | Sales Taxes | Tobacco Settlement Payments | Total Smoker Payments FY2008 | |
| State: Local: |
$57,330,000 $0 |
$15,482,000 $0 |
$26,800,000 | $99,612,000 |
Total tobacco settlement payments to Utah to date (1998-2008): $271,000,000
Economic and Tax Profile of Utah 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.
- Utah smokers' median household income: $38,981
- Utah non-smokers' median household income: $57,556
- 28.2% of Utah smokers had household incomes LESS THAN $25,000
- Only 17.3% of Utah 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 FY2008 were:
| Total average paid per Utah smoker in excise and sales taxes: | $354 | Cost per Utah smoker for settlement payments to Utah: | $204 |
| Total annual payments to Utah per smoker: | $558 |
Smoker Payment Comparisons
Payments by Utah smokers in FY2008 were:- Larger than state beer and liquor profits taxes ($68.8 million)
- Larger than FY2008 investment income tax collections ($62.8 million)
- Larger than FY2008 insurance premium taxes ($77.2 million)
- Larger than FY2008 oil and gas severance taxes ($65.5 million)
Utah smoker payments of OVER $114 MILLION were large enough to support FY2008 funding for:
- Weber State University ($113.96 million)
OR -
Community and Culture programs ($77.6 million) AND Parks and Recreation ($31.2 million)
OR - Environmental Quality ($47.3 million) AND National Guard and Veteran Affairs ($42.1 million) AND Aging and Adult Services ($24 million)
Total Smoker Cigarette Payments
click to enlarge image
| Per year: | $99,612,000 |
| Per day: | $272,723 |
| Per hour: | $11,363 |
| Per minute: | $189 |
| Per second: | $3.16 |
Help prevent more state tobacco tax increases.
Call 1.877.857.8074 or email your state representative.
