ATLANTA, GA – January 17, 2020 – As lawmakers dive into the new year, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is pursuing legislation that will ease the burden of cancer in Georgia. The latest edition of the ACS CAN’s How Do You Measure Up? report and Broken Promises report show that Georgia can do better when it comes to implementing legislation to prevent and reduce suffering and death from cancer, especially when it comes to tobacco control.
ACS CAN is urging the Georgia General Assembly to increase the cigarette tax to $1.87 per pack paralleled with an increase in the tax on all other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to 41% of the wholesale price.
An increase in the cigarette tax to $1.87 per pack would save lives by preventing youth initiation of tobacco products, prompt adults who smoke to quit, reduce health care costs and generate revenue in a year where state agencies are being forced to cut between 4% to 6% of their budget. If enacted, increasing the cigarettes tax to $1.87 per pack would bring a projected $425.18 million in new annual revenue.
ACS CAN supports a comprehensive approach to tobacco control that includes significantly increasing excise taxes on all forms of tobacco. Georgia currently holds the third lowest cigarette tax in the country at a mere 37 cents per pack. It was last raised in 2003.
ACS CAN volunteers look forward to meeting with lawmakers throughout the legislative session and gathering at the capitol for Lobby Day on February 12, 2020. ACS CAN encourages individuals, businesses and organizations that are interested in these issues to reach out to ACS CAN to get involved in the fight against cancer at www.fightcancer.org/GA.
For the latest information on cancer’s impact in Georgia, click here.
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About ACS CAN
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is making cancer a top priority for public officials and candidates at the federal, state and local levels. ACS CAN empowers advocates across the country to make their voices heard and influence evidence-based public policy change as well as legislative and regulatory solutions that will reduce the cancer burden. As the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN is critical to the fight for a world without cancer. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.