To partially fund their spending agenda, House Democrats have put forward a plan to raise taxes on all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, cigars and snuff. The Tobacco Tax Equity Act would double the federal excise tax on cigarettes and attempt to tax all tobacco products equally in order to raise funds for the Build Back Better spending package.
This plan has raised questions as to whether it will break Biden’s promise not to raise taxes on low-and-middle-income Americans. Others wonder how such a tax hike would affect the FDA’s strategy to reduce smoking and what will happen to state tobacco tax revenues.
This Reason Foundation panel discussion, which took place on October 26th, 2021, featured economists and law enforcement experts as they discussed the answers to these questions and more. The panelist included:
- Guy Bentley, Director of Consumer Freedom Research, Reason Foundation
- James E. Prieger, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Pepperdine University
- Major Neill Franklin, Former Executive Director, Law Enforcement Action Partnership
- Ulrik Boesen, Senior Policy Analyst, Tax Foundation