North Dakota defeats tobacco tax increase that included vaping.

[amoret]

A bit of good news from the elections - North Dakota Tobacco Tax Increase Initiative, also known as Initiated Statutory Measure 4, was defeated 62.52% to 38.48%. The measure have raised North Dakota's cigarette tax from 44 cents per pack to $2.20 per pack and included a new 56% tax on vaping. The vaping portion included defining vaping as a tobacco product.

Details are here: North Dakota Tobacco Tax Increase, Initiated Statutory Measure 4 (2016) - Ballotpedia

The main causes of the defeat were probably our long tradition of opposing any tax increase, especially a 400% one, and the unrelated and somewhat murky inclusion of specific ways that the new income would have been used. Major opposition was funded in large part by Big Tobacco, but hey, nobody is all bad.

 

[pennysmalls]

Bravo!

 

[snork]

I'll piggyback to say that we in Colorado also defeated a large tobacco tax by a margin of 54% to 46%. I was amazed. We can be a little tax happy around here.
None of the links describing it and its defeat were very interesting, but yeah.

 

[r77r7r]

Bring It to Pa., please!!!

 

[snork]

Bring It to Pa., please!!!

Boy, I don't know. I was just skimming over what you guys got to vote on and it looks like you spend a lot of energy replacing corrupt politicians. Get that straightened out and I'll think about it.

 

[skoony]

Mike