Now that we have seen the passage of HB2, you might think this blog has no purpose. Wrong! There are many important health issues, and the Heart Association and You're the Cure Advocates will continue to fight the good fight. As you can see, we've changed our address to www.yourethecurenc.blogspot.com. We will make more changes in the coming weeks, but first here is a letter to the editor from one of our advocates, Yolanda Dickerson!
Healthy Revenue
At just 35 cents per pack, North Carolina's cigarette tax is the third lowest in the nation. Bringing it in line with other states would generate significant tax revenue and reduce health care spending as smokers drop the habit and become healthier.
With benefits like that, raising cigarette taxes would be a good idea any time, but the current budget deficits make it even more important. We must find a way to reduce costs and raise revenue, or we face deep cuts in important state programs. Public health programs alone are targeted for $38 million in cuts.
Raising North Carolina's cigarette excise tax by just $1 per pack would reduce youth smoking by an estimated 17 percent, thus preventing addiction among 89,500 young people. An estimated 59,500 adults would stop smoking and 44,400 lives could be saved if taxes go up a dollar.
Legislators face many tough decisions as they attempt to address the budget shortfall, but raising cigarette taxes is a no-brainer. By taking one simple, common sense action, North Carolina can increase revenue, cut spending and improve public health. Increasing cigarette taxes is a win-win-win proposition.
Yolanda Dickerson
Wendell
