West Virginia Information
Tobacco Taxes
West Virginia's excise tax per pack of cigarettes: $0.550
West Virginia's excise tax collection for the
fiscal year ending June 2002: $33,922,000
Sales tax on tobacco products: 6.00%
Federal excise tax per pack of cigarettes: $0.39
Total federal excise tax collections in fiscal year 2002: $7,512,700,000
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Who Profits from
Cigarette Sales? 
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Comparing Excise Taxes on Cigarettes, Beer and Wine
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Number of six-packs of beer that must be sold in West Virginia to produce the same state excise tax revenue generated by one carton of cigarettes: 17.1 |
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Number of bottles of wine that must be sold in West Virginia to produce the same state excise tax revenue generated by one carton of cigarettes: 8.6 |
West Virginia Smokers' Contributions
to the State Economy - 2002
West Virginia smokers comprise only 28.1%1 of the adult population in the state. Here is what they already pay because they choose to buy a legal product:
Smokers Pay Excise Taxes2 |
$ |
33,320,403 |
Smokers Pay Sales Taxes2 |
$ |
36,338,823 |
Smokers Pay Tobacco Settlement Payments3 |
$ |
63,363,386 |
|
$ |
133,022,612 |
Smokers' Economic/Tax Profile
West Virginia smokers' median household income 2001 |
$ |
26,451 |
West Virginia nonsmokers' median household income 2001 |
$ |
34,542 |
- Working Families Pay More1
48% of WV smokers had household income LESS than $25,000
6% of WV smokers had household income EQUAL to or GREATER THAN $75,000
The impact of smoker payments on the incomes of working families is more than THREE TIMES the impact on higher income smokers. Those who can afford it least pay a disproportionate percentage of their hard-earned income in smoker payments.
- Smoker Excise Tax/Sales Tax/Tobacco Settlement Payments Liability4
Total average paid per West Virginia smoker in excise and sales taxes |
$ |
176 |
Cost per West Virginia smoker for settlement payments to West Virginia |
$ |
160 |
Total annual payment to West Virginia per smoker |
$ |
336 |
Total annual payment to West Virginia per nonsmoker |
$ |
0 |
West Virginia Smoker Facts 5
- Total smokers' payments in FY2002 to West Virginia were more than fifteen times as large as state excise taxes on alcoholic beverages in FY2001 ($8.7 million).
- Smokers' payments were larger than corporate net income taxes ($112.9 million) in FY2001.
- The total amount paid by smokers in West Virginia would cover the costs of FY2002 appropriations for:
- Public Defender Services ($24.7 million) AND State Police ($67.8) AND Environmental Protection ($8.8 million) AND Child Support Enforcement ($28.3 million) COMBINED.
OR
- Behavioral Health Services ($60.6 million) AND Community and Rural Health Services ($34.9 million) COMBINED.
- In 1997, smokers provided 5,782 jobs that paid an additional $6.8 million to the state in personal and corporate income taxes.6
TOTAL SMOKER CIGARETTE PAYMENTS TO WEST VIRGINIA |
|
Per year: |
$ |
133,022,612 |
Per day: |
$ |
364,196 |
Per hour: |
$ |
15,175 |
Per minute: |
$ |
253 |
Per second: |
$ |
4 |
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CIGARETTES DON'T PAY TAXES -
WEST VIRGINIA SMOKERS DO!!
1 Centers for Disease Control's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2001
2 Orzechowski & Walker, Arlington, Virginia; from state revenue department
3 PriceWaterhouseCooper
4 U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 state population and Centers for Disease Control's Behavioral Risk Surveillance System, 2001
5 U.S. Census Bureau and the State of West Virginia Executive Budget Report Fiscal Year 2003, and Executive Budget Fiscal Year 2003 Operating Detail, volume II. Online at http://www.rjrt.com/common/pages/LeavingRJRT.asp?URL=http://www.state.wv.us/governor/default.htm.
6 American Economics Group, Inc., The U.S. Tobacco Industry in 1997: Its Economic Impact in the States.
Master Settlement Agreement Payments To Date
$209,844,156 has been paid to West Virginia since the Master Settlement Agreement was signed on November 23, 1998.
West Virginia Tobacco Laws
No Laws Found
The reprinting of this information from the Coalition, does not constitute a representation or admission by RJRT that such information is accurate, complete, or a proper characterization of the laws concerned. The Coalition for Responsible Tobacco Retailing is a cooperative effort among retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers who share a common goal: to do all they can to prevent tobacco sales to minors.
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FORCES West Virginia Declares War On Anti-Smoking Movement
August 3, 2004
There is a grass roots movement started in Braxton County, West
Virginia. It is catching on like wild fire, every county that has
become aware of this new organization has had community members, businesses and other organizations signing up in large numbers without hesitation, whether they use tobacco products or not. In less than 2 months, with practically no news coverage, they have members in 15 counties. What is this new grassroots organization you ask?
It is FORCES West Virginia, FORCES stands for Fighting Ordinances and Restrictions to Eliminate Smoking. It is a non profit, run by volunteers. The headquarters are based in Virginia, and has volunteers in every State and on 3 Continents.
While FORCES does not promote nor endorse smoking, we do uphold your right to do so as well as your rights as a business owner to choose what legal activities are allowed in your establishment.
Volunteers from FORCES have effectively delayed or stopped the smoking bans in Washington, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Idaho, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, and Minnesota, and the battles continue. The West Virginia anti smoking movement has already received an internal memo warning of FORCES West Virginia's presence.
FORCES nor FORCES West Virginia receive no money from "big tobacco" companies. Its only funds are derived from the $25.00 membership fee. All money collected in West Virginia, stay in West Virginia.
While the Clean Indoor Air Regulations are the "hot topic" of the
moment, the broader picture shows the organization opposes the "legal structure" being set up against tobacco products and second hand smoke, that can at latter dates, be applied to any product or behavior, be it fatty foods, guns, bungie cord jumping or green shirts. It is FORCES West Virginia's goal to unite all people, businesses and other groups opposing such actions, working together we can make a difference.
The scientific evidence is sorely lacking for justification of the Clean Indoor Air Regulations, but the money provided to the health industry has given them unlimited paid press in all forms of media and our schools, paid employees to promote their agendas without a public outcry for such regulations, unlimited State and Federal resources at taxpayers expense to implement this "legal structure" that, when fully implemented and legally unchallengable, can be used on any product or behavior that the government or the health industry so choose.
FORCES West Virginia sees this trend or movement as one of the largest threats to personal freedoms, property rights, civil liberties, and free trade in the history of the United States.
For more information contact: Maryetta Ables, President at
maryetta@mountain.net or call 304-765-5394.
No WV Tobacco Tax!
Governor Proposes Yet Another Tobacco Tax
In his State of the State Address, Governor Bob Wise propsed increasing the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 20¢ a pack and increasing the tax on smokeless tobacco by 13%. This would bring the total excise tax on a pack of cigarettes to 75¢ a pack or $7.50 per carton and 20% on all other forms of tobacco products like cigars, loose tobacco, snuff and chewing tobacco.
You will remember that the Wise administration passed a tax increase on cigarettes just last year and a smokeless tobacco tax a few years back. While the Governor has said he is not targeting tobacco users in the state it sure seems that way.
Businesses in West Virginia have seen a drastic reduction in tobacco sales since the implementation of his tax proposals. Do the lost sales show a decline in use? Probably not.
It is important to note that geographically, West Virginia is bordered by the two lowest cigarette tax states in the country. When we compare West Virginia's $5.50 a carton cigarette excise tax with 25¢ and 30¢ per carton it is easy to account for a decline in consumption. We also share our border with three states that do not have a tax on smokeless tobacco.
There are those out there who would like to see West Virginia as a tobacco free state. There are probably those who don't care about the economic impact of increased taxes on the wholesale and retail communities. It is important to consider that when we lose revenue to neighboring states on tobacco products, we are also losing other revenues. What else are West Virginian's buying when they cross those borders? What states are we subsidizing with hard earned West Virginia dollars? With a depressed economy like West Virginia's let's keep all the dollars we can in our own state.
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