Thursday, February 19 2009
From: Chris McCalla, Legislative Director,
IPCPR
Wisconsin's governor unveiled his budget proposal--in it, among other issues, is a proposed statewide smoking ban and an increase in the state's Other Tobacco Products (OTP) excise tax. The proposal calls for an increase of the current tax rate from 50% to 71%. There is no mention of the "cigar tax cap" in the budget proposal.
Our first priority is to determine whether or not the cap will remain in place. At this time, we have no reason to believe the cap will be dissolved.
Additionally, the governor and legislature will work to enact a statewide smoking ban.
As these two issues are part of Gov. Doyle's budget proposal, it looks to be a long, drawn-out session. With that said, this is politics, where anything may happen.
As information develops we will update you all. To view these bills, click on the following link to go to IPCPR's Tobacco Legislation database. From there, scroll down and under "policy tools," click on issues and legislation. You will find each bill and a link to check that particular bill's status.
For more information, please visit the IPCPR website.
