This is a syndicated post, which originally appeared at CASAA. View original post.
Nebraska: 55% Increase in Smokeless Tobacco Tax (LB439)
[full text of LB439]
[legislative tracking for LB439]
If enacted, this bill would:
Increase Nebraska’s tax on smokeless tobacco products from 20% to 31% of purchase price.
Please note that this bill would *not* tax e-cigarettes.
LB439 has been referred to the Nebraska Legislature’s Revenue Committee. The Revenue Committee will hold a hearing on the bill on Wednesday, March 13th at 1:30 p.m. The hearing will be held in Room 1524 of the Nebraska Legislature, which is located at 1445 K St in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Public testimony will be allowed from attendees wishing to speak. We strongly encourage advocates to attend and testify in opposition to the tax increase on smokeless tobacco. If you are planning to testify, please contact us at board@casaa.org.
Please call, write or fax the members of the Revenue Committee below.
1. Let them know that you oppose LB439 because it would impose an unnecessary and punitive tax increase on smokeless tobacco products.
2. Tell your story on how switching from cigarettes to a far less hazardous smoke-free tobacco product has changed your life.
3. Explain that the purpose of increasing cigarette tax rates was to reimburse state expenditures for treating the many diseases caused by cigarette smoking. Because smokeless tobacco products have been found to be around 99% less harmful than cigarettes, there is no justification for such an outrageously excessive tax, which would discourage smokers from switching to a less harmful alternative.
4. Sharply increasing the smokeless tobacco tax rate also will encourage former smokers who had switched to using smokeless tobacco products to return to smoking.
5. Tell them that by switching to a smokeless product, you have greatly reduced your health risks.
6. Direct them to the CASAA.org website for more information.
Nebraska Legislature Revenue Committee Members:
Sen. Galen Hadley, Chairperson
Room #1116
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2726
ghadley@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Thomas Hansen
Room #1012
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2729
thansen@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Burke Harr
Room #1120
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2722
bharr@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Charlie Janssen
Room #1403
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2625
cjanssen@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Beau McCoy
Room #2015
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2885
bmccoy@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Pete Pirsch
Room #1101
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2621
ppirsch@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Paul Schumacher
Room #1124
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2715
pschumacher@leg.ne.gov
Sen. Kate Sullivan
Room #1107
P.O. Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509
(402) 471-2631
ksullivan@leg.ne.gov
Comma delimited e-mail list:
ghadley@leg.ne.gov, thansen@leg.ne.gov, bharr@leg.ne.gov, cjanssen@leg.ne.gov, bmccoy@leg.ne.gov, ppirsch@leg.ne.gov, pschumacher@leg.ne.gov, ksullivan@leg.ne.gov
