Led by a billionaire political donor, a coalition of health groups in California has introduced a campaign to ask voters to approve a tax hike on cigarettes by $2 per pack, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Billionaire Tom Steyer, a hedge-fund manager and environmental activist, is leading the campaign for the tobacco tax. Mr. Steyer was the nation's largest individual donor in 2014, contributing $74 million. So far, Mr. Steyer has spent $1 million collecting signatures to qualify the tobacco tax increase measure for the upcoming November ballot, according to the report.
"This is a historic opportunity to make an advance in public health," Mr. Steyer said Monday, according to the report. "[Tobacco use] is the number one cause of preventable death in California and we can save thousands of lives and billions of dollars by doing this."
Currently, California has the 36th lowest state tobacco tax in the nation at 87 cents per pack. Its tobacco tax has not been increased since 1998. In comparison, New York's tobacco tax is $4.35
The coalition joining Mr. Steyer's effort includes the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association and the Service Employees International Union. On Monday the group began turning in the one million signatures it has collected so far to raise the tax on all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes. The coalition needs to collected the signatures of 585,407 registered voters to qualify the measure for the ballot, according to the report.
The tobacco industry, which has defeated 18 previous attempts to raise the tax on tobacco in California, is expected to fight the initiative as it has in the past.
"We oppose large targeted tobacco and e-vapor taxes," said David Sutton, a spokesman for tobacco giant Altria, according to the report. "We are reviewing the initiative and considering our options."