New Hampshire Smokers Didn't Smoke Enough

Last month we brought you word of a brewing controversy in New Hampshire. Retailers in the state were lobbying hard to delay a cigarette tax hike in hopes that more people would come to the state to purchase cigarettes proving that it wasn't necessary to raise the tax. Unfortunately for retailers, people in New Hampshire and surrounding states seem to have become aware that smoking is bad for their health. Cigarette tax revenues didn't hit the revenue target state officials identified and last week the state's cigarette tax rose by 25 cents to $1.33 a pack. But despite this increase in the tax, smokers who purchase cigarettes in New Hampshire will still pay a lower tax than smokers in neighboring states.