Senate Offers Compromise on Cigarette Tax

Senator Dean Kirby (On Left, R-Pearl) and Senator Eric Powell (D-Corinth) during a meeting of the Conference Committee Thursday

House conference committee members are considering a compromise offered by Senators to increase Mississippi's cigarette tax to 55 cents per pack.

This is still short of the 82 cent increase passed by the House. Pearl Senator Dean Kirby chairs the Senate Finance Committee. He says he might not be able to go much higher.

“I think we’ve about reached our limit to be honest with you. It’s up to us to bring out a conference report, but it’s up to us also to bring out a conference report that will pass on the Senate floor. Otherwise we’re all wasting our time.”

The compromise would put 2 million additional dollars towards smoking cessation programs. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Percy Watson of Hattiesburg says that won't do enough to decrease smoking rates in Mississippi.

“We feel that in order to impact it you have to have close to 75, 80 cents. What they’re proposing right now will not impact it in a meaningful way in our state.”

Attempts to raise the cigarette tax to one dollar per pack failed in the Senate earlier this year. The lawmakers face a Wednesday legislative deadline to come to a compromise and file a conference report.