| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 08, 2007 |
Contact: Robyn Lee, 202-296-5469 |
Mississippi Voters Take a Stand for Kids and Families by Voting Out Senator Tommy Robertson
Statement of Matthew L. Myers, President, Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund
Washington, DC - By voting out incumbent Tommy Robertson in yesterday's District 51 Republican State Senate primary, Mississippi voters took a stand against Robertson's support of Big Tobacco at the expense of Mississippi kids and families. As Senate Finance Committee Chairman, Robertson refused to allow a vote on legislation that would have cut Mississippi's highest-in-the-nation grocery tax in half and increased the state's incredibly low cigarette tax.
These election results underscore the strong public support for cutting the grocery tax and increasing the cigarette tax in order to reduce tobacco use and save money for Mississippi's hardworking families.
We urge all candidates for governor and the Legislature in Mississippi to commit publicly to supporting legislation to cut the grocery tax and increase the cigarette tax. Governor Barbour vetoed such legislation in 2006 and Senator Robertson blocked it in 2007. All candidates for governor and the Legislature should commit to enacting this legislation into law in 2008. By doing so, Mississippi's leaders can save hardworking families hundreds of dollars in grocery taxes and help keep thousands of kids from smoking.
In the weeks leading up to the primary, the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund launched an independent television ad and voter contact campaign to inform voters about Senator Robertson's roadblock of the grocery tax-cigarette tax swap that would have delivered critical economic and health benefits to Mississippians. The ad can be viewed at www.tobaccofreeaction.org/press/display.php?Display=1044.
Mississippi's seven percent grocery tax is the highest in the nation. Mississippi also has the third-lowest cigarette tax in the country at 18 cents per pack, which is just a fraction of the average state cigarette tax of $1.07 per pack. While 44 states have increased cigarette taxes since January 1, 2002, Mississippi has not increased its cigarette tax since July 1, 1985.
Higher cigarette taxes are one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking, especially among kids. Studies show that every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes reduces youth smoking by about seven percent and overall cigarette consumption by about four percent.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in Mississippi, claiming more than 4,700 lives each year and costing the state $719 million annually in health care bills, including $264 million in Medicaid payments alone. Government expenditures caused by tobacco amount to a hidden tax of $561 a year on each Mississippi household. Currently, 22.4 percent of Mississippi high school students smoke, and 4,400 more kids become regular smokers every year.
The Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund is a non-partisan 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that works to reduce the devastating toll of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke by mounting education, advocacy and electoral campaigns to support anti-tobacco policies. The Action Fund is dedicated to educating voters about positions on tobacco-related issues taken by candidates seeking public office at the state, local and federal level and to advocating for proven solutions to reduce tobacco use and its terrible toll in health, lives and money. For more information visit www.tobaccofreeaction.org.