Hawaii Courts Push for Increased Tobacco and E-cigarette Taxes

According to a report by the Hawaii Tribune-Herald on April 27, the state court of Hawaii is advancing a bill to increase taxes on cigarettes and e-cigarettes. However, the originally proposed tax increase has not been implemented in reality.

Starting in July, House Bill 2504 seeks to raise the excise tax on each cigarette or small cigar from 16 cents to 18 cents. However, in its latest version, the tax rate will no longer increase but will instead expand to include vaporized products including e-cigarette devices and e-liquid.

This bill is part of a plan by the state governor, Josh Green, aimed at increasing state revenue to support the University of Hawaii Cancer Research Center, while also reducing nicotine consumption.

This tax measure has received support from the state health department, the American Cancer Society, the Pacific Health Organization, and many other health advocates. They argue that increasing the price of tobacco products will effectively reduce tobacco consumption. However, organizations such as Hawaii retailers and the Hawaii Smokers Alliance oppose this proposal, arguing that increasing taxes will impact local small businesses and potentially lead to a black market.

The latest version of the bill has been amended during the process from the House of Representatives to the Senate back to the House. The originally proposed sales tax has been revised back to 16 cents per pack of cigarettes, the rate it has been since July 2011. Additionally, the sales tax will now be imposed on cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and e-liquid, but no longer on small cigars.

Although the Honolulu City Council passed Bill 46 to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, the bill to push for the ban on flavored tobacco products did not move forward during this legislative session. Several bills in this session attempted to restore local autonomy for counties by giving them control over regulating tobacco sales, but Bill 206 currently gives precedence to county regulations on tobacco sales over state laws, causing the bill aimed at repealing the state law to be delayed early in the session.

Health advocates from various anti-smoking organizations have expressed opposition to the legislation and are calling on lawmakers to take action against "big tobacco companies."