My Plea to Utah House Majority Leader Mike Schultz: Please Raise Cigarette-Pack Tax in Utah ASAP!

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: "John McMillan" <mcmillanj@att.net>

To: "Mike Schultz" <mikeschultz@le.utah.gov>, "Gay Lynn Bennion" <glbennion@le.utah.gov>, "mballard@le.utah.gov" <mballard@le.utah.gov>, "newsmedia@ldschurch.org" <newsmedia@ldschurch.org>, "Deseret News 2022" <dnweb@deseretnews.com>, "Brett Garner" <bgarner@le.utah.gov>, "Marsha Judkins" <mjudkins@le.utah.gov>, "Paul A. Cutler" <pcutler@le.utah.gov>, "Joel Briscoe" <jbriscoe@le.utah.gov>, "Jplumb" <jplumb@le.utah.gov>, "University of Utah Student Newspaper 2022" <press@chronicle.utah.edu>, "Joe Dougherty (DHHS)" <joedougherty@utah.gov>, "cancer@utah.org" <cancer@utah.org>, "cammie.edgar@cancer.org" <cammie.edgar@cancer.org>, "Onjewel Smith: Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights" <anr@no-smoke.org>, "Fox News SLC 2022" <news@fox13now.com>, "nbauer@abc4.com" <nbauer@abc4.com>, "Jennifer Gardiner" <jgardiner@abc4.com>, "Utah Press Assn Director Brian Allfrey 2022" <ballfrey@utahpress.com>, "press@truthinitiative.org" <press@truthinitiative.org>, "Mayor Wilson" <mayor@slco.org>, "Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall 2021" <mayor@slcgov.com>, "County Council Member Bradshaw" <arbradshaw@slco.org>, "llstringham@slco.org" <llstringham@slco.org>, "suharrison@slco.org" <suharrison@slco.org>, "Utah Medical Association 2021" <info@utahmed.org>, "Utah Hospital Association 2021" <jill@utahhospitals.org>, "Center for Science In the Public Interest" <cspi@cspinet.org>, "Him-roi" <him-roi@umail.utah.edu>, "Mark A. Strong" <mstrong@le.utah.gov>, "State Rep. Jen Dailey-Provost" <jdprovost@le.utah.gov>, "State Rep. Angela Romero" <angelaromero@le.utah.gov>, "Utah Chiefs of Police Assn 2021" <vshupe@utahchiefs.org>, "Utah Peace Officers Association 2022" <homeupoa@gmail.com>, "Newsweek Editors" <letters@newsweek.com>

Sent: Thu, Mar 7, 2024 at 9:31 PM

Subject: Should UT Raise Sales Tax on Packs of Cigarettes?

https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/smoking-region/tobacco-use-utah-2021#:~:text=Tobacco%20taxes,the%20lowest%20at%2017%20cents.)

March 7, 2024

Dear Utah State Majority Leader Mike Schultz,

I would like to respectfully point out that Utah at present is surprisingly "soft" on tobacco, and I regard that as a major problem for our traditionally wholesome state with as few  vices as possible.

The current sales tax on each  pack of cigarettes sold  here in Utah is apparently so low that in 2021, the majority of U S. states each imposed average sales taxes on each pack of cigarettes sold in those respective states that were higher than that of Utah.

The dismayingly low current tax level on cigarette packs sold in Utah is also disastrous for our state's economy: millions of dollars of potential  tax revenue for our state Treasury are lost because of this "We're Lax on Vice Taxes" Policy here in Utah.

In 2021 the nationwide average sales tax on each  pack of cigarettes sold here in the USA was 21 cents HIGHER than the statewide average sales tax per pack of cigarettes sold here in Utah.

As a copyrighted January 1, 2022, online report by the nonprofit group "Truth Initiative" (online link, above) stated:

"Utah is ranked 27th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $1.70 per pack (enacted July 2010), compared to the national average of $1.91. (The District of Columbia has the highest tax at $4.50 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)..."

House Majority Leader Schultz, I am very concerned that the surprisingly low average sales tax imposed on each  pack of cigarettes sold here in Utah might signal the wrong message to prospective newcomers to Utah and current residents of Utah.

The morally meek  message from our State to prospective newcomers to Utah and current Utahns appears to be: "We Utahns All  Welcome As Many Tobacco Addicts as Possible  to our  Beehive State!"

That implicit message could spawn a significant increase in the number of out-of-staters with felony criminal conviction records who move into Utah. Any such increase, I might add, might  also trigger a massive increase in the number of chain-smokers who commit violent sex crimes and other violent personal injury crimes in our state .

The likely correlation between tobacco addiction  and perpetration of violent felony crimes in our state  is very  apparent to me. It is no accident that Tobacco Addicts have long been identified by psychologists as suffering from "Smoker Irritability Disorder",  if I remember correctly the name for that type of psychological disorder.

Any increase in the number of Utahns who smoke tobacco cigarettes would also be disastrous to the environment here in Utah. Tobacco smoke is Air Pollution, and our state most definitely SHOULD NOT be pursuing policies that appear to invite ANY increase in the total number of smokers residing here in Utah.

Also alarming are annual statewide financial expenses incurred by local and state government agencies here in Utah from government removal of cigarette butts lying on the ground and on public sidewalks throughout  our state.

House Majority Leader Schultz,  I hope this tentative brainstorming letter is  helpful to you and your colleagues in the Utah Legislature House of Representatives.

Best Wishes,

From John Kevin McMillan, lifelong-tobacco-free  single white male adult  permanent resident of Utah and '"Prohibitionist Religion" founder. I am the only current member of that non-proseltyzing politely non-Christian anti-tobacco  denomination --- a new religion that is not currently accepting any application from a prospective  second member.

My solo-occupancy and tobacco-free rental apartment unit home address: 535 S 200 E, Apt. 912, Ninth Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111. My cell phone: (512) 993-7305. My home phone: (801) 355-0850.