The SC Legislature gave Governor Mark Sanford a “parting” gift—a 50-cent increase in the state’s cigarette tax.Thanks for playing, Guv.
Sanford has successfully fought the tax increase for years regardless of the purpose of the tax—even when it was to help make health insurance more affordable specifically for small business. (OK, he said he would support an increase if an equal amount of tax was reduced somewhere else. A typical proposal from the Guv that doesn’t solve a problem.)
So while it’s been a long, long time coming (8 years or more), the General Assembly has taken a significant step toward addressing the problem of affordable healthcare for many of our low income citizens, reducing health insurance premiums for businesses by reducing cost-shifting and discouraging our children from taking up the habit in the first place. It was a good week.
Listen to my radio interview today with Sen. Thomas Alexander who lead the fight in the Senate to pass the cigarette tax.