The Illinois House Friday voted to raise the state’s cigarette tax by USD 1.00 (EUR 0.80) per pack and double taxes on other tobacco products to avoid even deeper cuts to health care for the poor.

The increase would bring the state cigarette tax to USD 1.98 and push the cost of a pack of cigarettes to nearly USD 11.00 a pack in some parts of Chicago. Taxes on other tobacco products, like cigars and pipe tobacco, are also doubled under the bill. People who use commercial machines to roll their own cigarettes will also pay the USD 1.98 a pack.
Together, the increases are expected to bring in USD 350 million a year.
Friday's vote came a day after lawmakers approved USD 1.6 billion in cuts to taxpayer-subsidized Medicaid services. If the tax increase had failed in the House, lawmakers would have had to look for more cuts.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where Democrats in the past have backed raising the cigarette tax.

In a separate vote on 25 May, the Illinois Senate approved a bill to ban the sale of flavoured cigar wraps – commonly known as blunt wraps – a product that, proponents say, targets kids and leads to drug use. Under the measure, anyone selling or distributing flavoured cigar wraps will be charged with a petty offense and fine of up to USD 1,000. (pi)
Addendum: The bill banning blunt wraps passed the House committee, 9-1, on 29 May and now heads to the House.