Cigarette Taxes in Utah

Higher Taxes Affect You

ALERT:The Utah legislature is considering a bill that would increase cigarette taxes by almost 145% - from 69.5 cents to $1.70 per pack! The legislature estimates the tax will cost Utah’s business community over $38 million next year alone! That’s over $16 million more than the tax will generate for the state! Contact your elected officials today and make your voice heard:

• Call your elected officials 1.866.658.8337 1.866.658.8337 (toll-free)
• Email your elected officials

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)

Help prevent more state tobacco tax increases.
Call 1.866.658.8337 or email your state representative.