Missouri tobacco tax proposal to appear on November ballot

The Missouri Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled unanimously that a proposed constitutional amendment to raise tobacco taxes should be placed on the Nov. 7 ballot, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The ballot measure, Amendment 3, would raise about $350 million for health care and smoking cessation programs by increasing the state cigarette tax by 80 cents and tripling the tax on other tobacco products.

The Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that supporters of the measure had collected enough petition signatures for the proposal to appear on the ballot.

The measure is supported by the Committee for a Healthy Future, a group made up of health care providers and advocacy groups, including the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society.

The measure is opposed by Missourians Against Tax Abuse, a group that includes cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds, tobacco farmers and cigarette retailers.

Critics of the proposed amendment say it will require the state to provide health care for residents whose annual incomes are less than 200% of the federal poverty level.

However, supporters of the measure note that under the amendment, the state would be able to appropriate only the amount of money the tax generates.

State Senate President Pro Tempore Michael Gibbons (R) on Wednesday said he is concerned that the tax will leave a funding gap for health programs as smoking rates and revenue generated by the tax decline.

A smaller tobacco tax increase failed four years ago (Young, St. Louis Post Dispatch, 10/11).